The Aotearoa Circle
The Aotearoa Circle Trust is a New Zealand charitable convening body that brings together public and private sector partners to develop climate and nature frameworks, roadmaps, toolkits, and scenarios for six critical economic sectors: agriculture, energy, finance, seafood, transport, and tourism.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersWellington, New Zealand
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Aotearoa Circle does
The Aotearoa Circle Trust is a New Zealand-registered charitable trust (Charities Act 2005, CC57015) that operates as a convening body rather than a product company. It brings together public and private sector partners to develop collaborative climate and nature initiatives targeting six critical economic sectors in Aotearoa New Zealand: agriculture, energy, finance, seafood, transport, and tourism. The organisation was co-founded by the late Sir Rob Fenwick, with operations centred in Wellington (C/O Public Trust).
Its core deliverables are strategic frameworks, sector adaptation roadmaps, toolkits, and scenario analyses produced in partnership with named enterprises and government agencies. Flagship outputs include the Natural Infrastructure Plan (launched at Parliament in March 2026), Agri-Adaptation and Tourism Adaptation Roadmaps, Seafood Sector Adaptation Toolkits, sector-specific Climate Scenarios co-developed with KPMG (including the world-first Seafood Climate, Nature & Te Ao Māori Scenarios), Let's Account for Nature, the Future Fit Shipping initiative, and the Natural Capital Regional Resilience pilot in the Bay of Plenty. The technology stack is minimal: Capsule CRM for stakeholder management and Mailchimp for email communications; no software platform, SaaS product, or API is offered.
The business model is a non-profit partnership model funded by tiered partner contributions (Leading Partner, Premium Partner, Circle Partner). Named partners include ASB, AGMARDT, KPMG, QBE Insurance New Zealand and Pacific, Genesis Energy, Auckland Airport, Fonterra, Westpac New Zealand, and public sector bodies including the Ministry for the Environment, EECA, LGNZ, Auckland Council, Wellington City Council, and NZ Superfund. Governance is provided by Guardians and a Rangatahi Advisory Panel. Leadership comprises Chief Operating Officer Jo Jalfon following the 1 April 2026 departure of Chief Executive Vicki Watson; the CE role is open for recruitment as of the most recent source material.
The Aotearoa Circle firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Aotearoa Circle
- Legal name
- The Aotearoa Circle Trust
- Website
- https://www.theaotearoacircle.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Aotearoa Circle Trust is a New Zealand charitable convening body that brings together public and private sector partners to develop climate and nature frameworks, roadmaps, toolkits, and scenarios for six critical economic sectors: agriculture, energy, finance, seafood, transport, and tourism.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Aotearoa Circle industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Climate and Nature Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), GHG Accounting & Net-Zero/Decarbonization Planning (Scopes 1–3) (EUAHAJAC), Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM), Climate Finance Strategy (CapEx planning, green finance, incentives & grants) (EUABAKAG)
Keywords
Where The Aotearoa Circle is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wellington
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Aotearoa Circle business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Partnership contributions: As a charitable trust (registered under Charities Act 2005, CC57015), The Aotearoa Circle operates through partnership contributions from public and private sector organizations. Partners support and shape the organization's critical work through collaborative funding arrangements.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Aotearoa Circle product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Aotearoa Circle is a non-profit charitable trust that convenes public and private sector leaders to collaboratively develop reports, roadmaps, toolkits, climate scenarios, and natural capital frameworks that help New Zealand's critical economic sectors adapt to climate change and restore natural capital. Core deliverables include the Natural Infrastructure Plan, sector adaptation roadmaps (agriculture, tourism, seafood), KPMG-co-developed climate scenarios integrating Te Ao Māori perspectives, the Account4Nature natural capital accounting initiative, and the Future Fit Shipping decarbonization initiative.
Product overview
The Aotearoa Circle is a non-profit organization that functions as a convening body and think tank rather than a software product company. Its core offerings consist of strategic frameworks, roadmaps, toolkits, reports, and advisory programs designed to help New Zealand's private and public sectors address climate and nature challenges. The main product portfolio includes the Natural Infrastructure Plan (a comprehensive framework for natural capital restoration investment), sector-specific Adaptation Roadmaps (Agri, Tourism, Seafood), Climate and Nature Scenarios integrating Te Ao Māori perspectives, the Let's Account for Nature accounting framework, the Natural Capital Regional Resilience pilot, Future Fit Shipping initiative, and the Rangatahi Advisory Panel for youth engagement. These offerings are delivered as published reports, downloadable resources, webinars, events, and the 'The Circle We Keep' podcast. The organization does not offer a software platform, SaaS product, or API-based services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Natural Infrastructure Plan A comprehensive plan developed by The Aotearoa Circle identifying high-impact projects that restore the health of natural capital and the required investment opportunities to deliver them, including an Investment Decision Toolkit for organizations.
- Let's Account for Nature (Account4Nature) A natural capital accounting initiative that enables organizations to measure and account for nature in their decision-making processes.
- Climate Scenarios (Sector-Based) Sector-based climate scenarios developed in partnership with KPMG, incorporating climate, nature, and Te Ao Māori perspectives to help sectors plan for the future. Coverage spans Energy, Transport, Tourism, Agriculture, and Seafood sectors.
- Seafood Climate, Nature & Te Ao Māori Scenarios A world-first sector-based scenario development partnering with KPMG, integrating climate, nature, and Te Ao Māori perspectives for the seafood sector.
- Seafood Sector Adaptation Toolkits A comprehensive suite of resources developed to guide decision making and adaptation across the seafood sector in response to climate change.
- Future Fit Shipping An initiative supporting decarbonisation of New Zealand's maritime industry to ensure sustainable international trade and reduce environmental impact.
- Agri-Adaptation Roadmap A roadmap of actions for the agriculture sector to proactively plan for the future and build long-term climate resilience, developed with industry experts, government, iwi Māori, and scientists.
- Tourism Adaptation Roadmap A roadmap developed to help ensure the tourism sector is resilient and reducing climate change impact, creating an abundant regenerative tourism sector balancing people, planet, and prosperity.
- Natural Capital Regional Resilience (Bay of Plenty Pilot) A regional systems-level pilot intended to enable greater resilience in the Bay of Plenty region, addressing climate and nature-related risks at a regional scale.
- Nature Finance Forum A collaborative forum bringing together stakeholders to discuss and advance nature finance solutions for New Zealand, convened by The Aotearoa Circle.
Quantifiable outcome
- Natural Infrastructure Plan developed to identify high-impact projects for restoring natural capital and required investment opportunities
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Aotearoa Circle
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Aotearoa Circle technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Aotearoa Circle partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ASBcoreASB joined as a Leading Partner of The Aotearoa Circle, contributing to climate and nature-related initiatives that support sustainable finance and economic resilience in New Zealand.
- AGMARDTcoreAGMARDT (Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust) became a Premium Partner of The Aotearoa Circle, supporting agricultural sector sustainability initiatives and climate adaptation work.
- KPMGcoreWorld-first partnership with KPMG to develop sector-based scenarios incorporating climate, nature, and Te Ao Māori perspectives for the seafood sector.
- QBE Insurance New Zealand and PacificcoreCircle Partner contributing perspectives on the evolving role of insurance in climate resilience, recovery, and natural infrastructure investment.
- Genesis EnergycorePartner contributing to energy sector climate discussions and TNFD adoption initiatives.
- Auckland AirportcorePartner exploring nature-based solutions for infrastructure, including stormwater management with natural infrastructure approaches.
- FonterracoreMajor dairy co-operative partner contributing to agricultural sustainability and emissions reduction discussions.
- Westpac New ZealandcoreBanking partner contributing to sustainable finance discussions and supporting young professional engagement through the Rangatahi Advisory Panel.
- Public Sector PartnerscoreIncludes government agencies such as Ministry for the Environment, EECA, LGNZ, Auckland Council, Wellington City Council, and NZ Superfund contributing to policy development and implementation.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Aotearoa Circle competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sustainable Business Council: New Zealand CEO-led coalition of major businesses working on climate, nature and sustainability. Most directly comparable convening body in NZ operating at the public-private interface.
- Climate Leaders Coalition: NZ coalition of CEOs committed to climate action and emissions reduction. Closely comparable NZ-focused public-private convening model serving similar enterprise partner base.
- Environmental Defence Society: NZ environmental NGO focused on environmental law, policy and advocacy. Comparable as a New Zealand environmental convening/advocacy organization engaging government and business.
- Toitū Envirocare: NZ-based environmental certification and carbon programs organization. Comparable in providing nature/climate frameworks and tools used by NZ enterprises across sectors.
Broad incumbents
- WWF-New Zealand: Established global environmental NGO with NZ operations focused on nature, climate and freshwater. Larger incumbent in adjacent conservation and nature-finance space.
- Forest & Bird: Long-established NZ conservation NGO with deep sector partnerships. Comparable in mission (nature and biodiversity protection) but operates more as advocacy/litigation organization than convening body.
- CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Global environmental disclosure system used by corporates and investors. Comparable through its TNFD-aligned nature disclosure work and sector scenario development serving large enterprises.
- World Resources Institute: Global research organization producing climate and nature scenarios, roadmaps and frameworks. Comparable as a producer of sector-based climate/nature content used by public and private decision-makers.
Emerging players
- Climate Bonds Initiative: International organization mobilizing green and nature-bond investment. Comparable through its focus on nature-finance frameworks and partner-driven market development.
Others
- TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures): Global standard-setter for nature-related corporate disclosures. Adjacent rather than directly competing — the Circle's Account4Nature and Nature Finance Forum work implements TNFD-style frameworks in the NZ market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Aotearoa Circle social profiles
Digital presenceThe Aotearoa Circle compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
The Aotearoa Circle financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Aotearoa Circle leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Aotearoa Circle funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Aotearoa Circle M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Aotearoa Circle
What does The Aotearoa Circle do?
The Aotearoa Circle is a non-profit charitable trust that convenes public and private sector leaders to collaboratively develop reports, roadmaps, toolkits, climate scenarios, and natural capital frameworks that help New Zealand's critical economic sectors adapt to climate change and restore natural capital. Core deliverables include the Natural Infrastructure Plan, sector adaptation roadmaps (agriculture, tourism, seafood), KPMG-co-developed climate scenarios integrating Te Ao Māori perspectives, the Account4Nature natural capital accounting initiative, and the Future Fit Shipping decarbonization initiative.
Is The Aotearoa Circle a public or private company?
The Aotearoa Circle is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Aotearoa Circle founded?
The Aotearoa Circle was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Aotearoa Circle based?
The Aotearoa Circle is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does The Aotearoa Circle make money?
One revenue line is on record: partnership contributions.
Who are The Aotearoa Circle's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sustainable Business Council, Climate Leaders Coalition, Environmental Defence Society and Toitū Envirocare. Broad incumbents are WWF-New Zealand, Forest & Bird, CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) and World Resources Institute. Climate Bonds Initiative is listed as an emerging player. TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures) is listed as an others.
Does The Aotearoa Circle have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Aotearoa Circle.
What industry is The Aotearoa Circle in?
The Aotearoa Circle's product category is Climate and Nature Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAF, Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAM, Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813312 and its SIC code is 8600.