Landcare Research Manaaki Whenua

Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research is one of nine independent Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) founded in 1992 from a reorganisation of Government funded research in New Zealand.

The organisation’s focus is on providing science-based solutions and advice for sustainable development and the management of land-based natural resources.  They have 380 staff in nine locations; with their largest research sites and head office located at Lincoln University.

The challenge

During the mid 90s, Landcare recognised that it needed to adopt sustainable behaviours in order to authentically ‘walk the talk’ and began developing a variety of governance and management practices to support this.

Some responses

The following are brief highlights from Manaaki Whenua’s comprehensive list of achievements:.

• Sustainability incorporated into long-term business strategy.
• ‘Health and safety’ has become ‘health, safety and environment’, and is incorporated into all business activities.
• Annual sustainability reports produced alongside financial reports since 1999 and all reports are available on the website along with sustainability indicators.
• Formation of site sustainability groups for each of the operating sites.
• Instigated carbon offsetting in 2001/2002 and are now addressing Green Houses Gases as well as carbon.
• New insect building at Lincoln designed to the highest levels of green building including the use of rainwater recycling.
• Solar panels installed at four sites around the country and retrofitting of double-glazing and water conservation measures in many buildings.
• “Earthsaver” stationery is “hard-subbed” into ordering processes.
• Vehicle fleet down-sized.
• Automatic notification of transport sharing opportunities when staff make travel bookings.
• Staff encouraged to think and act sustainably through informal chocolate fish awards and formal acknowledgement of outstanding contributions by awards from the CEO.
• Staff that are contributing to sustainability initiatives are profiled in the internal newsletter, and mentioned at site meetings and the annual national video conference held on World Environment Day.
• Concerted effort to build collaborative relationships with Maori and to improve staff bicultural understanding.
• Actively working with and encouraging other CRI’s, government departments, and businesses to improve their sustainability performance.

The results

• ISO14001 certification achieved in 1998.
• Carbon-neutrality achieved and maintained since 2005/06.
• Waste to landfill reduced by 54% in 2008.
• 13.7 tonnes of paper recycled in 2008.
• Using video conferencing facilities for 5.59 hours on average each day.
• Successful commercialisation of science based eco-verification tools and real time environmental monitoring technologies.
• Global recognition of the CarboNZero programme.

Central/Southern Regional Awards judges' comments

• Landcare Research is to be congratulated for embedding sustainability across the organisation with total commitment from all involved.
• Their holistic view of sustainability performance incorporating informal processes and formal certification is visionary and they are clearly leaders in the field.
• Their innovative solutions to in-house environmental problems break traditional boundaries.