What does it take for a business to survive — and thrive — not just next quarter, but for the next century?

That’s the question behind Wao Aotearoa’s Journey to 2125. It’s a big horizon 100 years ahead and it challenges us to stop thinking about business as short-term transactions and start seeing it as a legacy. What kind of companies, communities, and landscapes will we pass on to our mokopuna? 

This year’s Better Business Day (Wednesday 29 October, Wānaka + Hāwea) is a chance to explore forward-thinking business models that align profit with purpose and build resilience in a changing world. With a focus on long-term value, intergenerational responsibility, and climate-positive action, the day combines practical workshops, expert panels, and networking opportunities designed to equip attendees with the tools to lead sustainably, today and for 2125.

The day has been expertly curated to enable direct learning from pioneers in regenerative business, circular economy, and climate strategy, and set up so attendees walk away with ideas that can be implemented immediately. From leadership lessons to financing biodiversity, the sessions offer both inspiration and grounded, real-world insights.

Because the truth is simple: doing business better now is the only way we ensure a thriving, equitable Aotearoa for generations to come.

​​Leading from the inside out

Inner Strength for Outer Impact

Before you can change the way you do business, you have to change the way you lead. Hosted by facilitator Nicola King, founder of In Good Nic, this half-day session is about slowing down to lead better. A design thinker with a Masters in Sustainable Business, Nicola brings big ideas to life through accessible, empathetic practice.

This half-day workshop blends an early sauna session, breathwork, nervous-system reset, and even a lake dip with hard-earned lessons from Lisa Thompson, a New Zealand business strategist who has driven international growth for Icebreaker.

Lisa now leads Wilson & Dorset, a boutique wool design company based in Wanaka, and she’s passionate about embedding empathy, resilience, and emotional intelligence into leadership. Because if you want your company to last until 2125, your culture has to be strong enough to weather every storm.

You'll also hear from Dr Rebecca Bloore, local positive psychology and motivation expert with over a decade of psychology research experience, helping individuals thrive in their personal and professional lives. 

A business lesson from the mountains

Nature-Based Solutions in Business at Cardrona with RealNZ

Ski fields and tourism operators face climate risk head-on. At Cardrona, you’ll step behind the scenes with Ewan Mackie and the RealNZ team to see how an alpine business is actively restoring the environment it depends on, trapping pests, planting trees, and protecting threatened species.

It’s a simple truth: if our land and water don’t thrive, neither do our businesses. This on-the-ground tour shows how nature-based solutions can be woven directly into your operations, safeguarding livelihoods for generations to come. Note this session is not included in the day pass.

Cutting through the sustainability noise

Making Sense of Sustainability with Sydney Straver

The sustainability landscape can feel overwhelming, endless acronyms, frameworks, and reports. Sydney Straver, Managing Director of &BLOOM, will cut through the jargon with the concept of double materiality, helping businesses map not only how they impact the planet, but how climate and social change impact them.

This isn’t about box-ticking. It’s about building strategies that hold weight with staff, customers, and investors, strategies that will keep your business relevant all the way to 2125.

Financing nature, not greenwash

Understanding Biodiversity Credits with Ekos Kāmahi and Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari

Carbon credits have been on the agenda for years, but now biodiversity credits are emerging as a way to finance the protection of native ecosystems.

This session brings together Dr Sean Weaver (Ekos founder) and Helen Hughes (CEO of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, one of the largest mainland ecological restoration projects in Aotearoa). They’ll explain how biodiversity credits work, what good practice looks like, and how to tell the difference between genuine impact and greenwash.

For businesses, it’s a chance to connect your brand and investments to projects that will still matter a century from now.

Your climate wake-up call

The day ends with a panel that pulls no punches. Dr Cathrine Dyer, Dr Carly Green, Dr Sean Weaver, and Monique Kelly will lay out the current science, the political realities, and the risks already affecting businesses.

This is the reset moment, the kōrero that makes clear why action can’t wait. The question is not whether climate change affects your business. The question is whether you’ll step up to prepare for it, to lead through it, and to help your community thrive to 2125 and beyond.

Why does this matter for every business

• Because our future is on the line. The Southern Lakes economy relies on landscapes, climate, and people. Protecting them isn’t optional.
• Because customers expect it. The next generation of consumers and employees want to work with businesses that look past next year’s balance sheet.
• Because time is short. The choices we make in the next decade will shape whether our communities are resilient enough to reach 2125 in good health.

Join the journey

Better Business Day runs on Wednesday 29 October 2025 across Hāwea, Cardrona, and Wānaka. Tickets start at $15 per session, or you can grab a full-day Better Business Pass which includes four of the six sessions taking place on Wednesday.

This isn’t about more meetings or paperwork. It’s about building the kind of businesses that can survive , and thrive, for the next 100 years.

Our journey to 2125 starts now. Will your business be part of it?

Book your Better Business Day pass at wao.co.nz

Who is Wao Aotearoa? Wao Aotearoa is a collective movement for regeneration, accelerating systems change by connecting and activating people, groups, and organisations with the power to influence beyond themselves.

Our work is grounded in Aotearoa and guided by te taiao, with a focus on building resilient communities, better businesses, thriving ecosystems, and low-emission futures. We act as the mycelium, linking ideas, resources, and people to catalyse transformative action at both local and national levels. Our flagship event is Wao Summit, an annual, week‑long festival of kōrero, tours, workshops, and community events across Wānaka and Queenstown. It’s designed to ignite systems change through multi-sector learning and collaboration to address climate change — reframing how we live, lead, and thrive toward 2125.