KiwiGrow - leading the way
Given the origins of NZ2100 in New Zealand, KiwiGrow is well-placed to develop as a leading sustainability brand, provided it can win the support of leaders in government and sustainable development practice. New Zealand is a trading nation that depends on international acceptance of its business and industrial practices, and has a powerful incentive to develop a strong sustainability brand. It is widely regarded for its "clean, green" image, and, compared to many countries, is relatively unspoiled. New Zealand's inter-ethnic relations are by no means perfect, but the country can point to processes and achievements that it can be proud of in the area of race relations and multicultural societal development. Furthermore, as a small country, New Zealand does not have the same cultural inertia that larger countries have. And, as a highly developed westernised country, it faces challenges in common with most of the world's leading economies. Pathways charted towards sustainability in New Zealand may have great relevance to these societies, who can make their own contribution to helping this small country develop as an international model. With the experience of the free market reforms in mind, however, in which New Zealand led the way internationally, only to be left high and dry by countries that maintained their tariffs and subsidies, New Zealanders will be reluctant to buy into any pathway that puts their future security at risk. The New Zealand economy is among the international leaders in per capita CO2-equivalent production, for example, largely owing to the unfortunate digestive characteristics of grazing animals, and the downturn in international demand for its principal (exotic) timber products which has seen reforestation of marginal land in decline. Without reinventing itself as a country, it is in a zero sum game: reductions in per capita emissions can be achieved only to the extent that this is recognised in demand for our products and services.
Reinventing the country under the banner of sustainability is still possible however. In this scenario, the values of New Zealanders change so that they are happy to invest in sustainable development as a point of national identity and branding. Such a transformational change however, cannot happen in isolation. Transformed behaviour is only sustainable if the new behaviour is accepted or even welcomed by the wider international community. And that would suggest that a values transformation in New Zealand would have to be matched by a similar transformation internationally.
So, there are exciting scenarios in which New Zealand cities and organisations can become "centres of influence", and in which we could see KiwiGrow develop as a truly international symbol of global sustainability, rather than one limited to sustainable development in Auckland, for example.
The KiwiGrow label can be used only with direct permission of Creative Decisions. The word "KiwiGrow" refers to the New Zealand kiwi, an endangered native flightless bird in New Zealand. It is found nowhere else, and has become the most widely used symbol of New Zealand. New Zealanders as people are often these days referred to as Kiwis. Sometimes by themselves, sometimes by others. So when we talk about KiwiGrow, we are talking about growing as New Zealanders, as individuals and as a people. And we're also talking about ecological restoration, species biodiversity, and our desire to grow some more of these rare, endangered flightless birds. Perhaps the number of kiwis in the wild in New Zealand can become one of a number of international indicators of successful, sustainable, globalisation.
Personal KiwiGrow™
Personal KiwiGrow™ is the brand Creative Decisions uses for applications of NZ2100 to personal well-being. We intend to develop the potential of KiwiGrow as a model for health and well-being. Please see our thinking on this in our downloadable article:
We believe Personal KiwiGrow will eventually be shown to have great potential as a vehicle for self-help, and as a means for facilitating enquiry into human well-being.
New Zealand prides itself on offering healthy lifestyles. As international travel has become easier, and communications technology has advanced, New Zealanders - already a well-travelled population - can increasingly have the benefits of a global society along with the benefits of a healthy and spectacular local environment. So, we're becoming well-qualified to speak about what's important in personal well-being, and we think our ideas about this could have a wider audience.
At present, direct written permission is required from Creative Decisions before products and services can be labelled with either the "Personal KiwiGrow" or the "KiwiGrow" label.
Although we have identified commonalities between the NZ2100 model for personal health and well-being, and the fundamentals of the major religions, we see the model as secular and independent of these religions. We do hope, however, that eventually, NZ2100 might help to ease tensions between religious communities by emphasising what they have in common.
