A thriving economy needs natural capital to be thriving - and a plan to guide and restore it.

As the Infrastructure Commission delivers a 30-Year National Infrastructure Plan for Aotearoa’s built environment, The Aotearoa Circle is undertaking a parallel and equally urgent mission: to create a 30-Year Natural Infrastructure Plan.

First announced at our April hui at Parliament, this initiative will identify projects that will restore the health of our natural capital and the required investment opportunities to deliver them.

As a trading nation and tourist destination, the ecosystems, landscapes, and natural resources that underpin our economy are degrading. We can no longer afford not to have a long-term plan to restore them. This will be key to achieve a doubling of exports by value.

Through our unique public-private partnership, The Circle is convening leaders from across public and private sectors to develop a unified, cross-sector plan to halt and reverse nature loss. This collaborative approach - grounded in consensus, systems thinking, and long-term vision – will guide the development of this 30-Year Natural Infrastructure Plan.

Our intent is to:

Outline the key objectives and outcomes and how we’re approaching the plan to address risks and opportunities

Identify a pipeline of high-impact investment opportunities

Recommend priority areas for policy and regulatory reform.

Creation of a draft plan will take place over the next few months with it then further discussed and developed through Fenwick Forum 2.0, a series of hui to be held in October and November 2025.

Guiding this workstream is a Steering Committee currently made up of: