Impact Investment is a rapidly growing segment of the New Zealand investment market due to the promise of delivering positive financial returns alongside deliberate and measurable environmental and social co-benefits. Impact investment funds are increasingly appealing to government, trusts, corporate and institutional investors, with year-on-year growth of at least >NZD$350m of new dedicated funding available over the last five years.
Whilst New Zealand is following an international pattern of increased availability of impact investment funding, there has not been a commensurate increase in the supply of large-scale domestic impact investment opportunities.
EnviroStrat is one of a small number of New Zealand based multidisciplinary organisations capable of bringing together the complex science, economic and commercial elements necessary to create an ‘investable’ impact opportunity, assist in its execution, and deliver evidence of benefits created.
EnviroStrat has a fully developed methodology and track record in bringing together a range of natural resource, climate resilience, marine and terrestrial projects, which attract public, institutional, non-profit and private capital.
EnviroStrat is a direct investor in the Blue Economy
GreenWave Aotearoa
EnviroStrat has established and owns the first regenerative ocean (seaweed) farming operation in New Zealand.
Regenerative ocean farming grows seaweeds that require zero inputs (ie, no nutrient or feed additions are required to grow) that yield meaningful economic, social and environmental impacts. GreenWave NZ’s commercial farming model will restore ocean ecosystems, capture blue carbon and nutrients by growing seaweed that can in turn be used for food, biostimulants, animal nutritional supplements, pharmaceuticals and more.
With guidance from GreenWave US, we have developed and are implementing a $5 million, three-year pilot that aims to enable the growth of a new high-value sector for New Zealand.
Urchinomics
EnviroStrat is developing the New Zealand adaptation of the world’s leading sea urchin (kina) ranching business.
The Urchinomics model (or Kinanomics) involves removing malnourished urchins (kina) from ‘barren’ zones, feeding them a nutritious kelp-based diet in a land-based aquaculture system before harvesting the roe for export to high value markets.
Removing herbivorous kina from underwater barrens enables kelp forest restoration which has a number of beneficial impacts, including significant biodiversity benefits, water quality improvements, carbon sequestration and climate resilience, along with local employment opportunities.
Aquaculture Direct
EnviroStrat owns 50% of New Zealand’s largest specialist aquaculture consultancy; Aquaculture Direct Ltd.
Aquaculture is a huge growth opportunity for New Zealand and EnviroStrat felt that supplementing its core scientific, economic and financial capabilities with deep technical aquaculture skills would provide a unique opportunity in the New Zealand and international aquaculture sector. Our work in aquaculture since acquiring Aquaculture Direct has blended their world-class technical and operational expertise with EnviroStrats in-house understanding of business growth, the blue economy and project development.