Radical Collaboration

Radical Collaboration

Accelerating Climate Action Together

The time for collaborative climate action is now.

Major shifts and structural changes are required, including how Auckland grows and develops, how we get around and how we power our homes and businesses. A challenge this significant requires sectors and individuals to work together, and work differently, to enable a just transition to a low carbon, resilient future.

Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan is a long-term approach to climate action for the Auckland region. It sets out eight priority action areas to deliver our goals to reduce emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Te Tāruke-ā-Tawhiri was developed with Aucklanders for all Aucklanders and takes a deeply cultural narrative that is embedded in this place – Tāmaki Makaurau.

It calls for a change in our response to climate change, re-framing, re-imagining, and re-setting the current system, and a shift from a human-centred approach to an ecological-centred approach given our symbiotic relationships with the natural environment.

Our response to climate change is the collective responsibility of all individuals and organisations in Auckland and critically this response requires collective action and radical collaboration.

Join us in conversation with leaders and decision makers from across diverse sectors. This is your opportunity to hear more about the implementation of Te-Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan and how cross-sectoral partnerships can accelerate our region's climate action response. 

Have a question for our panel? 

This event is part of the Auckland Climate Festival.

Below is a map showing access to Crowne Plaza: 

Listen to the podcast

Te Radar

MC/Entertainer

With a string of awards, including the country’s highest accolades for television and comedy, Te Radar is one of New Zealand’s most recognised entertainers and presenters. He has an extensive career in documentary making, writing, stage and screen directing, as well as being a celebrated comedian and satirist. Some of the remarkable adventures Te Radar has embarked on include diving with sharks, plunging into the frozen Ross Sea, interviewing Yassar Arafat under the watchful eye of gun-toting Palestinian soldiers, and being stung by a scorpion (in a rather awkward place). His passion for and knowledge of the untold stories of New Zealand history inspired his critically-acclaimed 2017 TVNZ series Te Radar 's Chequered Past.

Jolie Hodson

Chief Executive & Executive Director, Spark New Zealand

Jolie Hodson is Chief Executive and an Executive Director for Spark New Zealand. Her appointment to Chief Executive in July 2019 followed a substantial career with Spark, leading different areas of the operating business over a six-year period. As Chief Executive Jolie is responsible for ensuring the company has a sound strategy, and applies her leadership to delivering on that strategy, while building a team around her and a business that is able to adapt to the fast-changing world of digital services.

Jolie first joined Spark in 2013 as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, where she played a pivotal role in re-orienting the business from a ‘telco’ to a ‘digital services provider’, before being appointed to Chief Executive Officer of Spark Digital, Spark’s ICT services division, in 2016. Jolie was then appointed to Customer Director, which required a strong understanding of dynamic, competitive markets and what customers value, before then moving into the position of Chief Executive.

In 2016 Jolie was awarded ‘CFO of the Year’ at the Deloitte Top 200 Business Awards. Prior to joining Spark, Jolie held a number of executive roles for Lion Group Australia over a 12-year period, and before that spent eight years with Deloitte New Zealand. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand.

Jolie is a member of Global Women, a founder of On Being Bold and is passionate about mentoring women in business. She is married to Gareth, a supportive and patient husband! Family time is spent supporting her son Sam’s and daughter Emma’s sporting adventures, walking their golden retrievers on their local north shore beaches, and travelling.

Chlöe Swarbrick

Member of Parliament, Auckland Central

Chlöe is your Member of Parliament for Auckland Central. It’s the place she calls home, the community she belongs to and the city – and Hauraki Gulf islands! – she’s proud to represent. As the local MP, Chlöe is focused on Auckland Central’s key concerns around: 

  • Housing, particularly cost and security for renters, and the high rates of poverty and homelessness for the local street whānau;
  • Transport, where the electorate is well overdue for a mobility revolution: walking, cycling, public transport and full blown accessibility;
  • The Environment, with the protection of Tīkapa Moana – the Hauraki Gulf, plus safe, clean and green shared spaces and improved air quality, particularly down Queen Street;
  • Small business, particularly the vibrant local arts and culture scene at the centre of the community.

Chlöe also works tirelessly for bold, transformational action on the issues for which she is the Green Party spokesperson, including Drug Law Reform, Economic Development, Mental Health, Tertiary Education and Small Business (to name a few).

Carla Gee

Chief Executive Officer, EcoMatters Environment Trust

Carla Gee was appointed Chief Executive Officer of EcoMatters Environment Trust in February 2022 after six months as acting CEO. She has been with the charitable trust since 2016, and was Head of Operations before moving to the CEO role. Her professional experience includes managing large teams in the retail and wholesale travel industry, as well as working alongside regional managers at one of New Zealand’s largest retail groups.

“I have so much aroha for this organisation, the people behind it and what we’ve achieved with the wider community. It’s a privilege to lead this team of talented and dedicated people, and I am constantly inspired by how we’re all continuing to learn how we can care for te taiao,” says Carla.

EcoMatters Environment Trust was established in 2002 and works alongside communities to deliver environmental initiatives with key entities such as Auckland Council, the Ministry for the Environment, philanthropic funders, and other not-for-profit and community groups. It aims to connect people and place and to nurture kaitiakitanga (guardianship), by supporting the community with knowledge and tools to restore nature, grow food, reduce waste, ride and fix bikes, and live more sustainably. Outside of work, Carla is kept busy with her two sons, who love soccer, kung fu, motorbike riding, swimming and fighting zombies!

Matthew Blaikie

Chief Sustainability Officer, Auckland Council

Matthew is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Auckland Council and leads a team responsible for strategic thinking, analysis and advice on sustainability and climate change, including the development and delivery of Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan. He provides strategic advice and direction on climate change, advising elected members and the executive leadership team. Matthew provides advice and influence across the organisation to ensure that processes, programmes and decision-making support and enable a just transition to a low carbon, resilient future.

Johnnie Freeland

Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua, Ngai Tuhoe

Johnnie is a wayfinder, systems navigator and whakapapa centred designer.  He brings together more than 30 years’ knowledge and lived experience of serving community and in guiding and navigating a range of Iwi, Māori community and public sector organisations in working to achieve better outcomes with Māori.    

He utilises mātauranga Māori – Māori knowledge systems thinking, knowledge and practice in navigating systems.  He draws on specific knowledge and practice of maramataka – lunar celestial cycles and whakatere waka – waka navigation in designing Oranga Motuhake/well-being pathways, with whānau, hapū, iwi and organisations.

Johnnie has helped navigate a whakapapa centred response to climate change within Tāmaki Makaurau, through the Tāmaki Makaurau Mana Whenua Forum.  In partnering with the Auckland Council, together they worked to harness the benefits of drawing on mātauranga Māori knowledge and western science to navigate a way forward for Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland through Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri Auckland’s Climate Plan.

He has also worked with the Te Waiohua Iwi of Te Ākitai, Ngāti Tāmaoho and Ngāti Te Ata, in leading and underpinning Te Whakaoranga o te Puhinui – Puhinui Regeneration programme alongside Auckland Council, Manurewa and Ōtara Papatoetoe Local Boards, Eke Pānuku and Kainga Ora, focused on regenerating the ecological, social, cultural and economic well-being of the Puhinui stream and its communities.

Johnnie currently works for the Wellington City Council, as the Manager, Māori Strategy, within Mataaho Aronui, the Strategic Māori Outcomes unit for the Council.

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