80 people in a room celebrating impact in Aotearoa, with great kai, music, passionate conversation, and a highlight reel. We couldn't think of a better way to end 2023.
At the Impact Investing Network, we are growing a community of people who care about the impact that us as individuals, and businesses, can have on the world. Our events are a way to connect those in the community, educate through discussions, and continue to grow the focus on impact in Aotearoa. We cover a range of areas from impact investment case studies, to innovation in mental health and wellbeing, climate, housing, and how Foundations, Corporates, and Fund Managers can collaborate to accelerate impact.
This time, we had a lot to celebrate.
We celebrated the combined commitment to net zero by Wellington Community Fund & Forsyth Barr with Katie Beith (Head of ESG, Forsyth Barr) and Linn Araboglos (CEO, Wellington Community Fund).
The Wellington Community Fund is a signatory of the Funders Commitment on Climate Action - committing to decarbonising their investment portfolio, along with kiwi funders who collectively grant ~$270m p.a.
Right: Katie Beith (Head of ESG, Forsyth Barr) and Linn Araboglos (CEO, Wellington Community Fund).
We celebrated the collaboration, trust, and focus on equity and social inclusion investments with Peter Tynan (CEO, Foundation North) and Jamie Newth (CEO, Soul
Capital) - pictured below.
Foundation North is one of the biggest foundations in Aotearoa and they are leading the way with their focus on impact.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is a summary of Peter's message to Trusts and Foundations after explaining how early stage some of the investment assets are. Take time to align values and connect as people - place trust and commitment into the partnership to deliver goals over a long term horizon.
Their partnership with Soul Capital is testament to the focus on creating real impact long term by both partners.
We celebrated innovative partnerships with Waruna Karunaratne (Investment Director, NZGIF) and Matt Currie (Investment Director, Purpose Capital) - pictured below.
Earlier in the year, Fonterra, New Zealand Green Investment Finance, CoolSense and Purpose Capital collaborated on an innovative investment deal for more sustainable milk chilling systems on farms.
The leasing model with CoolSense's systems should reduce costs for farmers, while reducing emissions and energy consumption.
A highlight for farmers is that the arrangement meant that farmers will no longer be responsible for the maintenance costs of the coolers.
You can read more about the investment here.
We also celebrated the 2023 highlights of multiple organisations leading with purpose in our 2023 Impact Investing Highlight Reel.
There are a number of impact investing highlights from the year - we are incredibly proud of what our impact community has achieved. As there were too many to highlight during the panels, we collaborated with a number of organisations to summarise their 2023 highlights.
Introducing... the 2023 Impact Investing Highlight Reel!
Thank you to Ange, Katie and the incredible Forsyth Barr team for their support of the event, as well as our incredible speakers. If you would like to speak at an event in the future, please let our team know!
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