He says the case laid out to the Prime Minister when they met him in January was based on four interconnected messages: New Zealand can’t afford to miss out on the cleantech trend; we need to protect our environment because it is implicitly connected to tourism and exports; we can achieve massive savings as a country right now by encouraging all companies to measure their carbon footprint and embrace energy efficiency; and as a country, we should become energy independent.

Sir Stephen Tindall (photography: Jane Ussher)

New Zealand has a natural competitive edge, says Tindall, who has invested in around 14 cleantech companies including Lanzatech, which has figured out how to turn steel mill emissions into biofuel and is making inroads into China.

“I get hugely excited by a company like Lanzatech because it looks like it will globally make a significant difference because you can turn all these pollutants going into the air, into a fuel. That’s really important, to look at it from that commercial angle. Of the cleantech companies we have invested in, there are two or three with huge potential but we can’t talk about them yet. They are very early in the IP phase and we wouldn’t want that IP stolen,” Tindall says.

At least do due diligence, says Mills, who believes a taskforce would be a good first step. “We’re getting good traction around that. My gut feeling is that we will get a taskforce and it will identify significant economic opportunities.”

But if the findings of the proposed taskforce are politically palatable, they could disappear into thin air. Time for the Prime Minister to step up, says Icebreaker’s Jeremy Moon. “New Zealand could have a hugely enriching strategy around cleantech that provides commercial and cultural wealth. The role of the Prime Minister is to grab this or there is no way it will happen. There should be a taskforce that reports to the Prime Minister. This is a leadership issue that will define his legacy.”

Fyfe agrees, using the example of Air New Zealand. “You slowly start to build a critical mass of people that want to come on board and start to share the belief. I share the view that at Air New Zealand it would have been hard to create momentum and build critical mass if the CEO didn’t share the belief.

“The CEO of the country is the Prime Minister. This is a great leadership opportunity for John Key and could define his time as Prime Minister. I think he can create an enduring legacy for New Zealand, but the window of opportunity is tight because other countries will step in and fill the void if we don’t step up and claim it.”
Says Tindall: “Somehow we have to start the conversation and then build it into our national psyche so it becomes part of our culture.”