Impact Snapshot
February 2023
In this February Impact Snapshot, read about EHF Fellows in action creating environmental, social and economic impact, including achievements and recognition.
Fellows in action 🎬
🌏 Environment
James Nikitine and Blue Cradle attended the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in Vancouver with Kura Moeahu, Chair of Te Āti Awa, where they defended their bid to host the next event in 2026. The IMPAC series, co-led by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) bring together ocean conservation professionals and high-level officials to inform, inspire and act on marine protected areas. While hosting rights of IMPAC6 were awarded to Sénégal, the delegation’s participation resulted in greater awareness of the role Māori play in Aotearoa in terms of governance of marine natural resources and also showcasing the efficiency of other area-based management tools (Rahui, Tāiapure, Mātaitai) in terms of social acceptance, equity and justice.
Harmaan Madon and Matthew Jackson presented at the Orion Energy Accelerator demo evening in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Harmaan and Matthew were presenting the Alimentary Systems, which creates value from waste in a circular system that regenerates the environment, as a tauiwi organisation supporting kaitiakitanga.
Harmaan and Matthew won the ‘People’s Choice Award’ and the Orion Impact Award: ‘Startup with the most impactful solution’. Congratulations!
Photo 📸 by Steven Moe✌ Social
Fellows have been supporting their local communities in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, including Nathalie Whitaker and her Toha colleagues who swiftly set up East Coast Exchange. This initative serves as a transparent public record of contributions, building resilience and regeneration on the East Coast.
Elizabeth McNaughton and Jolie Wills, disaster response experts and founders of Hummingly, responded to organisations looking for best practice advice to support employees and clients affected by Cyclone Gabriellewere by offering a free ‘masterclass’ webinar. They also shared practical tips for dealing with the devastation of a disaster, in an opinion piece for Stuff
Hazel Heal shared her story in Stuff about a life-changing encounter with an Australian doctor, who provided treatment for her hepatitis C diagnosis. Hazel has gone on to lead Hep C Action, which is on a mission to eliminate hepatitis C in New Zealand by 2025.
Thabiso Mashaba has been selected onto the Falling Walls Engage 2023 Advisory Board. He joins renowned scientists, communicators and consultants with a shared experience of evaluation in science engagement, where he will advise on sourcing and assessing the most engaging science projects from around the globe.
📈 Economic
Sasha Lockley and Money Sweetspot were featured in Stuff to discuss offering ‘financial reset’ loans to the public and being successful if they lose customers. The company offers unsecured loans for people to repay debt to other finance companies. Money Sweetspot’s model is to give borrowers online courses to improve their money skills, and pay them to do the courses.
🤝🏽 Collective Impact
Matthew Shribman (AimHi Earth) and Joanne McEachen and Sarah Grant (Kia Kotahi Ako) have joined forces with support from NEXT Foundation and many others, to provide an interactive online Climate 101 Masterclass for Aotearoa. The session (Wednesday 5 April) is especially for organisations in Aotearoa NZ looking to become climate and sustainability leaders.
*Images have been provided by Fellows or sourced from the Internet. EHF does not claim to own the images.