Climate Action Initiative

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

Dr Jane Goodall, Scientist & Activist

What is the Wao Climate Action Initiative?

From heat waves and wildfires to downpours and flooding, 2023 has given us a taste of the impacts we can expect over the coming decades and centuries. Without very significant reductions in greenhouse gases—beginning immediately—it is very likely that global surface temperatures will exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement. It is our responsibility to do everything we can to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions right now. 

Wao's intention with this programme is to help our communities take action now. 

The Wao Climate Action Initiative is a programme designed to provide participants with the knowledge and tools to calculate their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and take action to reduce them. 

The aim of the initiative is to establish a district-wide baseline for GHG emissions and support everyone in the community to make a meaningful impact on reducing them. It builds on work already being done by some businesses, individuals and organisations, including those in the rural sector which is being supported by WAI Wānaka, another local non-profit.

In 2021 & 2022, the initiative was directed at tourism businesses and schools and was funded by Queenstown Lakes District, Destination Queenstown and Lake Wanaka Tourism.

In 2023, the programme was open to not-for-profits, social organisations and for-purpose businesses, and was funded by Central Lakes Trust (CLT).

We are now looking at setting up a number of cohorts for 2024. If you are interested, please get in touch.

Interested in joining the Wao Climate Action Initiative?

Every year, Wao opens the program to a specific group of businesses or organisations - this allows for the cohort to dive deep into topics that are common to all participants, share issues and exchange ideas and solutions.

In partnership with Environmental Accounting Services (EAS), Wao takes the participants through a 3-5 months programme:

In the first ‘Know your number’ workshop, participants learn how GHG emissions are calculated. They then have a few weeks to collect their organisation’s data, with the support of EAS. The team at EAS processes the data to calculate individual carbon footprint reports. Everyone meets for a second ‘Race to Neutral’ workshop, where reduction strategies are discussed. At the end of the programme, each participant has a clear understanding of how to create and implement an action plan that will mitigate their organisation’s carbon emissions.

If you are interested in calculating your carbon footprint and start your climate action journey, please register your interest using the form below. We are looking to set up a number of cohorts. Please let us know what sector / industry you are in.

See what these businesses say about the Wao CAI workshops

Karmela Rapata from Check In

Grace Mitchell from Queenstown’s Active Adventures was thrilled with the experience:

“The first workshop of the Wao Climate Action Initiative was very interesting and valuable. From not knowing anything about calculating greenhouse gas emissions, I came away from the workshop feeling like I had a good grasp of the basic concepts and enough knowledge to start working with others in our business to calculate our emissions.

The CAI team was extremely knowledgeable in this area so I learned a lot, and they were great at simplifying the more complicated information for those of us that are not so science-minded. It was good to connect with other local businesses that have the same goals toward improving their sustainability, and I’m looking forward to the next workshop already.”

Antony Sproull from Air Milford

Climate action for Businesses and Organisations

This workbook has been created as a learning resource for Wao as part of the Climate Action Initiative. All information supplied has been curated by Wao, Environmental Accounting Services and Applied Movement. 

The intention for this workbook is for you to use it in conjunction with the second phase workshop of the CAI, "Race to Neutral", to guide the development of a Climate Action Plan. 

This content has been developed with funding from QLDC, Lake Wanaka Tourism and Destination Queenstown.

Climate action for Rangatahi/Youth

These documents have been created as a learning and teaching resources as part of the Wao Climate Action Initiative.

We strive to offer teachers and students from year one to year ten a credible, informative resource that represents the Climate Change issues of Aotearoa and more specifically, the Queenstown Lakes District.

Climate action for Rangatahi/Youth

Physical Climate Change

A guide on climate change concepts & case studies. We aim to link student learning with the wider community, local businesses and knowledgable individuals.

Climate action for Rangatahi/Youth

Know Your Number

Throughout this resource we will explore global climate issues through a local lens and link learning to the achievement objectives of the New Zealand Curriculum.

Dr. Carly Green
Wao Aotearoa board member and IPCC Lead Author

“The aim of the Climate Action Initiative is to establish a district-wide baseline for GHG emissions and support everyone in the community to make a meaningful impact on reducing them. It will build on work already being done by some businesses, individuals and organisations, including in the rural sector which is being supported by WAI Wānaka, another local non-profit.”

Katherine Durman
QLDC Climate Action Programme Manager

“Two of the statements within Vision Beyond 2050 are zero carbon communities and deafening dawn chorus, while the Climate Action Plan sets out how we will achieve our goals of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 across the whole district and be resilient to the local impact of climate change.”

Tim Barke
Lake Wānaka Tourism General Manager

“The first step in reducing greenhouse gases is measuring our current emissions. The work of local organisations like Wao Aotearoa will help us make real progress toward net zero.”

Further Resources

Questions?
Get in touch.