Inspire - Building a Greener Future: Why Waikato Leaders Are Driving Sustainable Change

Description

In today’s ever-evolving business landscape, sustainability is no longer just an option—it’s a necessity. But what truly drives business leaders to embrace eco-friendly practices? What personal experiences, values, or defining moments have shaped their commitment to sustainability?

Join us for an inspiring panel discussion featuring three forward-thinking business leaders who have embedded sustainability into the core of their companies. Rather than focusing on the how, this event will focus on the why—unpacking the personal motivations, challenges, and triumphs that fuel their passion for a greener future.

Hear firsthand stories of transformation, purpose, and impact, and discover why integrating sustainability isn’t just good for the planet—it’s essential for business success, innovation, and long-term resilience. If you’re looking for inspiration to drive meaningful change in your own work, this is an event you won’t want to miss.

Come along, be inspired, and leave with a renewed sense of purpose.


Panel: 
Nicola Turner - Mainstream Green
Nicola Turner is a speaker, best-selling author and the driving force behind Mainstream Green. After 15 years in the global consumer goods industry—where she learnt far too much about how we all behave in the supermarket—she shifted gears. Now, she’s on a mission to rethink consumption and make sustainability easy, normal, and feel good.

Drawing on her deep understanding of human behaviour and real-world sustainability experience, Nic empowers individuals, organisations, and communities to embrace sustainability in a way that works for them. In practical and doable ways, she inspires action that creates meaningful change.

Adam Thompson - Restore Native
After spending years planting trees on his own land just outside of Cambridge, Adam Thompson founded Restore Native to bring biodiversity and birdsong back to land not suitable for pastoral farming.

Restore Native now distributes over 1 million trees each year across the Waikato and entire North Island; and Adam is known for this excellent advice and strong partnerships with local stakeholders and landowners.

His love of trees and birds has led him into pest control initiatives across the country, and most recently he's established Te Miro Kiwi, a movement to bring Kiwi back to the backyards in his local district.

Brad Pierce - Treadlite NZ
Treadlite NZ is a company Brad and his business partner Blake Richardson founded 6 years ago to tackle the waste tyre problem in NZ. The company has grown quickly into the largest tyre recycling company in NZ and covers the length and breadth of NZ and Australia and currently recycles over 50% of all tyres in NZ with a collection target of three million tyres in the 2025 calendar year 

Brad came to the industry with 20+ years of experience in the automotive industry and 10+ years of experience quarrying. With his strengths in startup companies, building teams and scaling business's he is a newbie to the world of recycling and sustainability and loves that he learns something new every day. Focused on leading from the front with his finger firmly on the 'operations' pulse Brad is immensely proud of what he and the team have created.


Event sponsored by Vision Complete Earthworks 

Speaker gifts are provided by Wild River & Co

Catering is provided by Hazel Hayes

For enquiries or to cancel your registration email events@waikatochamber.co.nz

View our waitlist policy.