Research Aims

We will create a blueprint for the Āmiomio Aotearoa concept, informed by Aotearoa NZ’s unique bi-cultural history and its societal, political, geographic, policy and market setting. The concept, co-created in partnership with Māori, will inform and guide future research and innovation activities, and will be created to dynamically and meaningfully represent the bi-cultural core values upon which is it founded (Māori/NZ European), to ensure its long-term relevance to national and international research agendas in the circular economy space.

The circular economy transition requires a paradigm shift in society’s relationship with products, and the materials from which they are made. Through this research we aim to develop new niche products that will contribute to the disruption of the status quo, and to develop design processes that start from a position of non-acceptance of current conceptions of ‘waste’ and ‘end of (product) life’ to support the development of new ways of ‘doing’ design, and designing out waste.

New Zealand faces particular opportunities and challenges in moving towards a circular economy.

Opportunity spaces include consideration of the potential gains to be derived from, for example, the incorporation of Māori concepts such as para kore (zero waste) into the development of new sustainable business models. Challenge spaces often relate to difficulties associated with achieving fundamental and widescale behaviour change, for example, how can NZ’s large SME sector be encouraged (and supported) to achieve significant improvements in their rates of low-grade recycling and more general waste minimisation?

To achieve a circular economy, innovation is required across business practice, economic theory, regulatory frameworks, and consumer behaviours, supported by in-depth knowledge of existing assets, materials, energy, and utility requirements, and policy development. We will explore which intrinsic (pro-environmental/social) and extrinsic (financial, regulatory, reputational) motivational factors can be supported by policy to influence sustainable production and consumption, taking account of the numerous challenges created by multiple path dependencies (e.g. long-standing norms, mental models, operating procedures, and cognitive biases).