Blue Economy: Ecostore's Malcolm Rands

New Zealand has ample sustainable business opportunities, writes Ecostore's Malcolm Rand. Photo / Dean Purcell

Ecostore founder Malcolm Rands shares his prediction for New Zealand's sustainable future in 2050.

OPINION: I'm going to be extremely bold here and make a prediction that, by 2050, New Zealand will have the highest Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) in the world.

By that time GDP will have long gone the way of the dinosaur. New Zealand will be an example for the rest of the world and Kiwis will go out and partner with people from around the world that request our knowledge.

And how will we have done this? By focusing on the critical things the world needs, and which we are in a unique position to offer. For example, there is a growing demand around the world for healthy food. New Zealand will be utilising land practices that use the latest technologies such as using biochar to super-fertilise the soils.

Because we will be relying on the precautionary principle, there will be no place for the use of genetic modification to create commodity food items. Our food will be the safest, the purest and, of course, the most delicious; the very definition of quality.

Ecostore has been experiencing double-digit growth for many years now based on our guiding mission to make it easy for our customers to make a difference to their own health and to the planet. We have found this resonates with our neighbours in Australia and Asia just as much as it does here at home.

Of course, the value proposition has to be there. Our products have to work and cost the same as the multinationals but that is now possible with advances in plant-based chemicals.

Internationally, the fastest growing companies are more open and authentic, they have an explicit mission. They treat all the stakeholders as win/win partners and invest in the communities in which they operate.

So how do we make this prediction a reality? Do we use a carrot or a stick?

We first need to get rid of the mindset that we must choose between the environment or the economy. The environment is the economy. Without the environment there is no business. Our 'natural capital' - what we get from nature for free - is undervalued. The country which solves this conundrum will have an advantage over the rest of the world.

We may need a stick to flush out the vested interests that are trying to prevent the inevitable slide of their balance sheet into stranded assets - as is already happening with brown coal.

I believe the anti-smoking campaign has shown the way. If an action affects the whole community and the true cost of this is not reflected in the price of a product then add a tax to reflect this. I would then lower personal PAYE to make it a zero game rather than promote revenue gathering for government.

New Zealand has an exciting future as long as we grab the opportunities that are out there.

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