At a critical moment for climate action in Aotearoa, individuals from iwi, business, government, finance and community organisations gathered alongside mana whenua in Tāmaki Makaurau over the weekend for a unique cross-sector Climate Future Search Wānanga.

Convened by Co-Aotearoa, the three-day gathering brought together 90 people from across Auckland’s climate ecosystem to strengthen relationships, align priorities and commit to coordinated action for the region’s future.

The wānanga comes amid growing urgency around climate impacts, including recent extreme weather events, ongoing energy and fuel challenges, and increasing focus on climate policy ahead of New Zealand’s upcoming election. It was grounded in kōrero and exchange, with contributions reflecting a range of perspectives across the system, including those of mana whenua.

“Ko tāua tāua, ko Tāmaki Makaurau tātou - this wānanga was about recognising that our strength already lies in our shared connections to each other, to place, and to the natural world,” says Johnnie Freeland, tangata whenua and Future Search Facilitator. “By remembering and restoring those tātai hononga, we can shift from fragmented action to collective, coordinated change, and truly begin weaving a thriving taiao together. The call to act, together, is now.”

Participants reflected on the interconnected social and economic realities shaping climate responses across Aotearoa.

“Telling the truth about climate means telling the truth about people,” says Tori McNoe, Co-Aotearoa trustee. “For many whānau, the pressures of the cost of living and energy insecurity are already shaping daily life - and those realities are inseparable from the climate challenge. This wānanga created space to sit with that complexity together, to stay in the room across difference, and to move from fragmentation toward collective action. It’s about choosing what we carry forward now, and trusting that what we cannot yet hold will be carried by the next wave.”

From fragmentation to alignment

Co-Aotearoa emerged from the Auckland Climate Festival, which connected over 285 organisations and hosted more than 400 climate events across Auckland. This wānanga represents the next phase of that work, bringing together a curated cross-section of the system to move from fragmented efforts toward greater alignment and shared direction.

Participants collectively defined key priority areas and developed action plans for the next 6–12 months, alongside longer-term system change pathways. These include sustainable food systems, low-emissions transport, climate justice for Pacific communities and safe migration pathways, regenerative and distributive economies, a thriving natural environment, and deeper connection to nature and community. Participants also committed to strengthening communication through a climate storytelling collective, advancing a Te Tiriti-centred constitutional approach, and embedding mātauranga Māori as a guiding principle across all actions.

The gathering reflects a growing recognition that coordinated action is essential to delivering on ambitions such as Auckland’s climate plan, Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri, and to building momentum beyond institutional boundaries.

“The wānanga embodies the intention of Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri - Auckland’s Climate Plan to have cross-sector leadership. This is that plan in action,” says Dave Watson, Auckland Council. “The solutions lie in the collective, and we saw a clear commitment to come together to deliver positive, lasting and powerful outcomes for Tāmaki Makaurau.”

This sense of alignment extended across both public and private sector participants.

“What this wānanga has really highlighted is that even though we intentionally sought to bring a diversity of voices into the room, it was clear there is more that connects us than sets us apart,” says Alec Tang, Partner, Climate, Sustainability and ESG Lead at KPMG and founding trustee at Co-Aotearoa. “At a time when some actors are seeking to divide and antagonise, the breadth of connectivity - and the opportunity that diversity provides to solving the systemic issues that underpin our climate challenge - has been a powerful reminder.”

A whole-of-system approach

The wānanga brought together a wide range of participants, with mana whenua present as kaitiaki and partners in the kaupapa, alongside representatives from communities and lived experience, rangatahi, business and industry, funding and finance, government, advocacy and activism, communications and storytelling, and knowledge and research.

The process was designed to bring diverse perspectives into the same conversation, including strong youth participation, with rangatahi contributing to both dialogue and reporting.

“It was a truly collaborative space. Everyone was there, including mana whenua, who we don’t get nearly enough time with. That felt really special,” says Sterling Ruwhiu, Community Programmes Manager at Beautification Trust. “There was a shared commitment to decolonisation, not just in theory but through practical action plans. The wānanga was incredibly well facilitated, and each night I went home feeling full, energised, inspired, and excited about what we can do together.”

Co-Aotearoa partnered with the Centre for Social Impact, who delivered and facilitated the Future Search methodology, an international, structured workshop approach adapted to Aotearoa and grounded in Te Tiriti-centred design, to bring diverse actors together to agree on a shared future and act on it.

“What struck me most was that, despite feeling limited in capacity, there was a real desire and tangible commitment from everyone to stay connected, keep encouraging one another and pursue new avenues for transformative change together,” says Michelle Reynolds, Chair of Co-Aotearoa. “It was the potency of the shared mission, and the journey to find common ground, that enabled that.”

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