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Sustainable Development: Responding to the Research Challenge in the Land of the Long White Cloud, Aotearoa New Zealand

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European Research on Sustainable Development

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Abstract

Amongst the challenges facing us in New Zealand, three questions are relevant to the theme of this conference. First, what is the relevance of a Sustainable Development research agenda to an island nation of 4 million people in the grip of a global economic crisis? Second, how may our precious investment in research, science and technology be guided so as to maximise the return to the nation? Third, what are priorities for investment in sustainable development research? This paper explores some possible answers.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Based on the higher leverage points (1–3) in Meadows D. (1999). Leverage points: places to intervene in a system. Sustainability Institute, Hartland Vermont. Available at: http://www.sustainer.org/pubs/Leverage_Points.pdf.

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    Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (2003). Sustainable development for New Zealand: programme of action. Available at: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/sus-dev/sus-dev-programme-of-action-jan03.html.

  3. 3.

    Helen Clark in Voices for Sustainability. Available at: http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/sustainability/sustainabilty_details.asp?Sustainability_ID=59.

  4. 4.

    For example, Green technologies win UKP1.4billion in UK budget in Nature. 22 Apr 2009. Available at: http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090422/full/news.2009.392.html.

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    Directorate-General for Research, Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (2008). Scientific evidence for policy making EUR22982 EN. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/policy-publications_en.html.

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    For an example of the funding portfolios and description of assessment criteria. Available at: http://www.frst.govt.nz/files/RfP%20Part%201%20Infrastructure%20Communities%20and%20Energy%20(ICE).pdf.

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    Demos W. J., & State Services Authority (2008). Towards Agile Government, State Services Authority, Victoria, Australia. Available at: http://ssa.vic.gov.au.

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    NIWA (2009). Regional modelling of New Zealand climate. Available at: http://www.niwa.co.nz/our-science/climate/research-projects/all/regional-modelling-ofnew-zealand-climate.

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    Long-term Council Community Plans are required under the Local Government Act 2002. An example is that of Environment Waikato. Available at: http://www.ew.govt.nz/policy-and-plans/Long-Term-Council-Community-Plan-Annual-Plan-and-Annual-Report/.

  11. 11.

    Creating Futures http://creatingfutures.org.nz/.

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    100% Pure Conjecture’, a participative game to stimulate interest in future directions for New Zealand and to aid strategic-thinking about sustainability. Available at: http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/services/sustainablesoc/futures/about.asp.

  13. 13.

    http://www.europa.eu/debateeurope/ is used by the European Commission to actively listen and engage in dialogue with its citizens.

  14. 14.

    Auckland Sustainability Framework (2007). Overarching strategic framework for local and central government decision-making in the Auckland Region. Available at: www.sustainingauckland.org.nz.

  15. 15.

    The urban resilience prospectus CSIRO, Australia, Arizona State University, USA, Stockholm University, Sweden www.resalliance.org/1610.php.

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    CitiesPlus: www.citiesplus.ca/.

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    Gunningham, N. (2008). Innovative governance and regulatory design: managing water resources. Landcare Research Contract Report: LC0708/137. Available at: http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/publications/researchpubs/water_gunningham_LC0708137.pdf.

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    Adger, W. N., Brown, K., Fairbass, J., Jordan, A., Paavola, J., Rosendi, S., & Seyfang, G. (2003). Governance for sustainability: towards a “thick” analysis of environmental decisionmaking. Environment and Planning A, 35, 1095–1110.

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    Lennox, J. A., & Diukanova, O. (2008). Modelling regional general equilibrium effects and irrigation in Canterbury. International Conference on Policy Modelling (Ecomod 2008), Berlin, 2–4 July 2008. Available at: http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/programme_pubs.asp?Proj_Collab_ID=94.

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    Te Puni Kōkiri, BERL (2011). The asset base, income, expenditure and GDP of the 2010 Māori economy. Wellington: Te Puni Kōkiri.

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    Harmsworth, G. R. (2006). Governance systems and means of scoring and reporting performance for Māori businesses. Landcare Research paper for Mana Taiao, Foundation for Research Science & Technology (2003–2007). Available at: http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/sustainablesoc/social/indigenous_index.asp.

  22. 22.

    Harmsworth, G. R., & Tahi, M. (2008). Indigenous Branding: Examples from Aotearoa – New Zealand. 22–25 July 2008. FIBEA – Fostering Indigenous Business & Entrepreneurship in the Americas Conference, Manaus, Brazil. Accepted April 2008 for Conference Proceedings.

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    Durie, M. (2002). The business ethic and Māori development. Paper presented at Maunga Ta Maunga Ora Economic Summit March 2002, Hawera.

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    Durie, M. (2003). Ngā kahui pou: launching Māori futures. Wellington: Huia Publishers.

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    Ngai Tahu (2009). Available at: http://www.ngaitahu.iwi.nz/About-Ngai-Tahu/.

  26. 26.

    Wakatu (2009). Available at: http://www.wakatu.org/main/Vision_and_Values/.

  27. 27.

    In 2007 Prime Minister Helen Clark declared, “I believe New Zealand can aim to be the first nation to be truly sustainable – across the four pillars of the economy, society, the environment, and nationhood”.

  28. 28.

    Economic Growth Agenda. Available at: http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/Page_44545.aspx.

  29. 29.

    CRI Taskforce report. Available at: http://www.morst.govt.nz/current-work/CRI-Taskforce/Final-Report/.

  30. 30.

    Green Growth strategy, see www.oecd.org/greengrowth.

  31. 31.

    Business NZ. “Why take the lead on sustainability?”. Available at: http://www.businessnz.org.nz/content/BusSustLead.pdf.

  32. 32.

    See Walmart’s Supplier Sustainability Questionnaire. Available at: http://walmartstores.com/download/4055.pdf.

  33. 33.

    See the e-book Hatched: the capacity for sustainable development. Available at: http://hatched.net.nz.

  34. 34.

    Gordon, R.F.S. (2010). The environment as an economic asset, presentation to the Royal Society/Science NZ Parliamentary Speaker’s Science Forum, May 2010, on http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/sustainability/sustainabilty_details.asp?Sustainability_ID=121.

  35. 35.

    Green Growth in New Zealand. See for example the 100 per cent Plan http://www.100percentplan.com/.

  36. 36.

    Integrated catchment management project in the Motueka Valley, Tasman, New Zealand. See http://icm.landcareresearch.co.nz/knowledgebase/publications/public/Cultural_indicators_report2.pdf.

  37. 37.

    Watershed Talk: a project about processes for building community resilience. Available at: http://icm.landcareresearch.co.nz/knowledgebase/publications/public/Watershed_Talk_Summary_2009.pdf.

  38. 38.

    See http://www.globalresearchalliance.org/.

  39. 39.

    Gordon, R.F.S. (2009). Unending in Hatched: the capacity for sustainable development. http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/services/sustainablesoc/hatched/overview.asp#s5.

  40. 40.

    See www.landcareresearch.co.nz. Landcare Research’s purpose is to drive innovation in New Zealand’s management of terrestrial biodiversity and land resources in order to both protect and enhance the terrestrial environment and grow New Zealand’s prosperity.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer

This paper reflects a small selection of research projects conducted or conceived by Landcare Research, a Crown Research Institute in New Zealand.Footnote 40 The author especially recognises the contributions of research leaders: Bob Frame, Garth Harmsworth, Michael Krausse, James Lennox, Claire Mortimer, and Daniel Rutledge; and both the Ministry and the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology who funded some of the research described here. Views expressed in the November 2010 Epilogue are those of the author. This paper is not intended to represent views of the New Zealand government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Landcare Research Manaaki Whenua, 40, Lincoln, Canterbury, 7640, New Zealand

    Richard F. S. Gordon

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  1. Richard F. S. Gordon
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Correspondence to Richard F. S. Gordon .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Impact Research, Transdisciplinary Concepts & Methods, Potsdam Institute for Climate Change, Telegrafenberg A31, Potsdam, 14473, Germany

    Carlo C. Jaeger

  2. , Institute of Environmental Sciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Campus UAB, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193, Spain

    J. David Tàbara

  3. European Climate Forum, Potsdam, 14406, Germany

    Julia Jaeger

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Gordon, R.F.S. (2011). Sustainable Development: Responding to the Research Challenge in the Land of the Long White Cloud, Aotearoa New Zealand. In: Jaeger, C., Tàbara, J., Jaeger, J. (eds) European Research on Sustainable Development. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19202-9_10

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