New Zealand’s sustainable finance strategy

The New Zealand Government has an ambitious economic growth agenda that aims to unlock New Zealand’s potential, grow the economy and ease the cost of living for New Zealanders. The Government’s growth aspirations are set in the context of unprecedented change – including a rapidly warming climate, ageing populations, increased geopolitical and trade tensions, and technology change. The speed and scale of these changes have the potential to destabilise economies, strain public resources, disrupt labour markets, and increase vulnerability to global conflicts.

Making capital flow to the right places to respond to these goals and challenges is difficult. This is partly due to a short-term focus, as well as a lack of tools to effectively assess trade-offs and accurately price social and environmental risks. To achieve the Government’s desired outcomes from growth, we need clear and cohesive government policies and regulation that can effectively attract, mobilise and direct both public and private capital.

Within a rapidly evolving international landscape, where global sovereigns are deploying sustainable finance strategies which create a cohesive and coordinated plan for attracting and directing investment, there are real and opportunity costs to New Zealand from delayed action or inaction.

Responding to a request from the Minister for Climate Change, in February 2025 CSF made recommendations to the New Zealand government for a national sustainable finance strategy. These recommendations were developed through engagement across the public and private sectors.  

The recommended vision of the strategy is ‘finance that unlocks New Zealand’s potential and enables the growth, innovation and capital required for current and future generations to thrive’. 

Our recommendations will be published in full on our website in Q2 2025.