Mindful Money Launches Campaign to Protect Our Oceans Through Ethical Investment

Mindful Money today launched a new campaign calling on New Zealanders to use their investment power to protect and restore our oceans, which are being degraded at an alarming rate by profit-driven corporations, funded by over $3 billion of KiwiSaver investment.

The campaign highlights the looming crisis. Our oceans are crucial for climate stability, biodiversity, coastal communities and a significant proportion of New Zealand's economy, but they are being filled with plastics, polluted by toxic chemicals, mined, warmed and acidified. They are being damaged through commercial exploitation on a massive scale.

"Oceans are arguably our most important ecosystem. We should treat them as our most important treasures," said Barry Coates, co-CEO of Mindful Money. "But the reality is our oceans are being damaged by the activities of the world's largest transnational companies operating in the vastness of the oceans where few are held to account. The irony is that billions of dollars of our investments are supporting these companies.”

“Mindful Money’s campaign calls on all those with a KiwiSaver account or investments to look at whether they are part of the problem, in helping to fund the damage. We can all take action to become part of the solution, helping to protect and regenerate the oceans we love.”

We depend on ocean health

Oceans are vital for our planetary systems, producing half of the world's oxygen, regulating our climate and sequestering most of the greenhouse gases we emit. They support a vast range of habitats from mangroves to coral reefs, and are home to diverse species from tiny shells to the great blue whale. They are cultural treasures (taonga) and a source of wonder and enjoyment for all.

Healthy, living oceans are also a foundation of long-term economic value, especially for communities that depend on fish and marine resources for their livelihoods.

Our oceans are being degraded

Commercial use and exploitation is damaging the ability of oceans to support these vitally important functions. Key drivers of ocean degradation include marine plastic pollution, waste dumping and toxic chemical accumulation, overfishing that exceeds reproduction rates, physical destruction of marine habitats through seabed mining and bottom trawling, and climate emissions causing ocean heating and acidification.

Companies that use ocean resources typically do not bear the costs of their impacts on the oceans. With governments and international bodies failing to adequately protect oceans from damage, companies are making profits at the expense of ocean health. While international agreements on climate change, plastics and fisheries remain important, Mindful Money argues that additional mechanisms for strengthening corporate accountability are urgently needed – particularly through the investment chain.

Investment has an important role

The campaign focuses on the role of investment institutions that provide funding for companies whose activities are causing ocean damage. These institutions use New Zealanders' KiwiSaver and investment funds to purchase and hold shares, giving them a powerful governance role over these companies. Many are aware of the importance of nature but continue to invest in the companies whose activites damage ocean health and other ecosystems.

The decisions of all but a few investment providers are dominated by the pursuit of high financial returns without taking account of the impacts from that investment. Even those claiming to take nature into account usually confine this to assessing financial risks to their investments, rather than considering the full range of impacts on ocean health.

"The institutions managing our money need to bear their share of responsibility," Barry Coates said. "They should not be investing in companies whose activities continue to damage our oceans. It's our savings being invested and we can make choices about where our money goes."

Research exposes the companies

Mindful Money's research focuses on international companies that impact ocean health, reflecting the global coverage of most KiwiSaver and investment funds. Research shows that companies operating in the ocean economy are highly concentrated – the 100 largest companies account for 60% of revenues in the ocean economy and their activities are likely to cause most of the impacts.

"We need to take action to prevent further damage and restore our oceans," Barry Coates said. "This should include advocacy for strong international agreements, expanding Marine Protected Areas and proper regulation. But we should also use our power as investors."

There are exciting opportunities for investing in regeneration

The campaign highlights growing opportunities to invest in ocean health and regeneration. New ventures are emerging to restore oceans, supporting natural processes that have shown rapid regeneration when adverse impacts are reduced. While most investment in ocean regeneration has come from governments or philanthropy, there is increasing impact investment from leading trusts and foundations.

KiwiSaver and investment funds can invest in these early-stage unlisted companies as part of their overall portfolios. Many investment providers recognise the importance of nature, though their approach is typically framed narrowly as reducing investment risk. Mindful Money argues this is a starting point for institutions to recognise their impacts, stop investing in harm and start allocating investment to regeneration.

Align your investment with your values

Mindful Money's free Fund Checker allows all those with KiwiSaver or investment funds to easily see whether their funds are causing harm to oceans. They should call on their fund managers to divest from companies unwilling to stop harm, or they can switch to ocean-friendly funds using Mindful Money's Fund Finder – a process that is simple and entirely free. Evidence shows that ethical investing provides financial returns at least as high as conventional investing, with lower risks.

"As a priority we should stop our funds being used to invest in companies whose activities cause damage," Barry Coates said. "Investing ethically is a way to align our investments with our values."

"We can be mindful investors," Barry Coates said. "Every New Zealander with a KiwiSaver account or an investment fund has the power to protect our oceans simply by choosing where their money is invested. When we act collectively, that power becomes enormous."

ENDS

For media inquries please contact:
Barry Coates
barry@mindfulmoney.nz
021 365 165

For more information about the campaign, to check your fund, or to find ocean-friendly investment options, visit www.mindfulmoney.nz.

About Mindful Money

Mindful Money is an independent charity that aims to switch investment flows from companies whose activities cause harm to investments that generate positive outcomes. Mindful Money provides transparency for New Zealanders’ holdings in Kiwisaver and managed funds.

This ocean research is the first stage of an ecosystem approach that analyses the impacts of financial investment on natural systems. Mindful Money’s approach is ‘education for action’, engaging and empowering the public to become mindful investors. Members of the public are provided with information on the types of companies in their funds, and from 2026 will also be able to see the investments that have positive outcomes for the climate, people and the planet.

Mindful Money’s work to influence investments flows is supported through our annual conference and ethical and impact investment awards, surveys of the New Zealand public, reports and surveys on climate change, and ethical reviews for trusts and foundations, charities, educational institutions and other asset owners. As a registered charity, we are supported by aligned investors, generous trusts and foundations, and members of the public.