Nicola Nation
on values-led change
For Nicola Nation, sustainability is not a checklist but a rhythm — a deep respect for timing, place, and purpose. When she planned her wedding, she wanted peonies. But her mother, “a fabulous and dedicated gardener,” gently reminded her they bloomed only in November. “It was a clear example of how nature has its own rhythms which are best respected.” That lesson, learned early, has shaped how Nicola approaches business and change.
Nicola’s journey to becoming CEO of the Ākina Foundation was marked by a shift in perspective. With degrees in law and commerce from Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington — and over 15 years in public and private sector roles, including at MBIE, Kiwibank, Deloitte, and the World Bank, she combines corporate rigor with a passion for social justice. “We are the guardians for the planet, not just for the next generation but for generations to come,” she says. “We have a responsibility not to leave this mess to our children.”
At Ākina, Nicola found a new lens. “To observe and support hundreds of New Zealand businesses delivering incredible products and services… in a way that minimises negative impacts and works in a regenerative way has been a game-changer for me.” She rejects the old economic idea that environmental harm is a necessary trade-off. “There are no excuses for operating a business while trashing the planet and not looking after your people.”
Her leadership centers on empowering others. To young changemakers she says, “You are enough and one person can make a difference.” Whether encouraging children to protect animals or urging entrepreneurs to embed purpose in profit, Nicola believes change starts with small, authentic actions. “If trans rights are important to you, could you join Sweat with Pride and raise money for Rainbow Support Services?”
Yet she also knows transformation takes endurance. “System change is hard, takes time and can be tiring,” Nicola says. “It’s essential to slow down, enjoy the journey, and remember to have fun.” She counters cynicism with a clear-eyed truth: “I get angry when people say, ‘New Zealand is so small, we cannot make a difference.’ That is simply not true.”
Nicola’s deep respect for Te Ao Māori informs her approach. “We have been gifted the planet from our grandparents and we are kaitiaki for generations to come.” She sees Aotearoa’s small size as a strength: “There are about seven people we need to get in a room to make it happen.”
As Ākina closed its doors in 2025, Nicola reflected on the legacy they left: “It was clear we had planted many seeds of change.” Her advice today? “Your actions matter — aim for consistency over perfection, and be the change you would like to see in the world.” Read Nicola’s full story and insights in this edition of BLOOMING Sustainability and discover how her values-led leadership continues to inspire positive change.
BLOOMING Sustainability Questionnaire
Name: Nicola Nation
Company & Title: CEO, The Ākina Foundation 2021 - May 2025
Websites & LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-nation-2817082/
* Guiding Values | Kaupapa
If sustainability were a flower blooming in your life, what would it look like? What nurtures it?
That’s a great question! My favourite flowers are peonies and I wanted them as my wedding flowers, My mother, a fabulous and dedicated gardener, told me that they were in season in November. So I had a choice to make - move my wedding to the seasonal date of peonies, import peonies or use artificial silk flowers.
It was a clear example of how nature has its own rhythms which are best respected.
Peonies are beautiful, delicate and old-wordly. They remind me of all I can learn from previous generations. They are fussy about where they are grown but they are a hardy plant, which speaks to resilience and the point that we can all thrive - when set up for success in the right conditions.
A quote, personal motto or whakataukī that reflects your vision:
I have two, and I quoted them both in my Ākina job interviews:
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Mahatma Gandhi: be the change that you wish to see in the world
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Anne Frank: “How wonderful is it that no one has to wait even a minute to slowly start changing the world”
If you could mentor a rising change-maker in Aotearoa, what advice would you share?
That you are enough and that one person can make a difference. I regularly advise young people to find the thing or things that they believe in and to champion those things.
For example, I have noticed that most children have an affinity with animals, so if speaking to primary school aged children I ask them to think about how they could help animals. This helps young children to think about how to help someone or something that cannot help itself.
Speaking to university age young people I encourage them to think about and define “what is important to them”, and by this I mean their values. And then I encourage people to think about how they can live a life that reflects their values.
For example if you love the ocean - can you volunteer at beach clean up days? If trans rights are important to you, could you join Sweat with Pride and raise money for Rainbow Support Services?
If you love commerce and business and want to be an entrepreneur - that’s fantastic! How can your business be a social enterprise, working in a regenerative way that supports people and the planet, and delivers more than simply profit?
* Leading Change | Arataki
A key moment in your journey that shaped your path:
Joining the Ākina Foundation in 2018 and learning the power and possibilities of business done better has been a series of a-ha moments, which led me to move from Ākina General Manager to CEO in 2021.
I studied economics at university and we were taught about “externalities” as if they were an unavoidable consequence of business. To observe and support 100s of New Zealand businesses delivering incredible products and services, from web design services to accountants to FMCG, delivered in a way that minimise negative impacts and working in a regenerative way has been a game-changer for me. There are no excuses for operating a business while trashing the planet and not looking after your people.
It has been a great pleasure to return to universities and business schools in Aotearoa as a champion of social enterprise and purpose-led business, championing change in the mindset of young entrepreneurs.
What’s the main challenge you face in driving sustainability within your sector?
A challenge in driving sustainability is apathy and/or thinking that sustainability is “someone else’s problem”: I get angry, and sad, when I am met with arguments such as “well what about India burning fossil fuels?” or “New Zealand is so small, we cannot make a difference”. That is simply not true.
Specifically in the social enterprise or impact-led sector, the main challenge in driving sustainability recently has being keeping sustainability in the consciousness of big business when facing a recession and the current political environment, which seems to have de-prioritised initiatives to support people and the planet.
An area you need more support with:
System change is hard, takes time and can be tiring. It is important to remember that you cannot pour from an empty cup. It is essential that you take care of your needs as you work towards bigger change and this is something that I have needed support with. For me this means to slow down, to enjoy the journey and to remember to have fun along the way.
An Indigenous perspective you admire and want people to be mindful of:
It seems obvious to point to Te Ao Māori. We can all learn from an approach that believes we have been gifted the planet from our grandparents and we are are kaitiaki for generations to come. MBIE’s Guide to Just Transitions draws on the principles of Te Ao Maori, emphasising the importance of the relationships between nature and people. I should note that in May 2024 the government closed its work programme on Just Transitions.
I also believe that we can learn from all cultures. When we approach our differences from a position of curiosity, rather than feeling threatened, we will learn and grow.
Your best approach for engaging stakeholders in meaningful dialogue about ESG:
Bringing it back to an example that is important to that stakeholder, as I described above when talking to young people.
When talking to leaders in business - focusing on sustainability is simply good business sense. There is a strong business case for businesses to invest in and promote strong sustainability practices. Investors, employees and consumers are demanding more from the businesses they buy from, work for and invest in. And good leaders understand this - it is not a fad.
Find out what is important to your stakeholder and target your message accordingly. I regularly use different elevator pitches about sustainability and the different levers of change, depending on the audience I am speaking to.
What do you think is Aotearoa’s superpower in creating a sustainable future?
Without a doubt our small size. We are two degrees of separation away from each other. If we really want to affect positive change there are about seven people we need to get in a room to make it happen.
What this means is that if you have a good idea it does not take much to share that idea with those who have the power, funding, technology or connections to make it happen.
* Surfing the Green Wave | Kakariki
Books, podcasts, courses or other resources that profoundly shaped your approach to sustainability
My approach to sustainability has been most profoundly shaped by the incredible humans that I worked with for seven years at Ākina. We encouraged each other to go further and to do more, as individuals, as a collective and as an organization with a voice in the system.
We challenged everything from how and when we travelled, to how we showed up as a Te Tiriti partner. We became a certified climate positive organization with science based targets. We rewrote our procurement policy. We chose to spend time as a team in DoC huts in nature.
For external resources and support, two newsletters I recommend are SBC Pānui - a weekly round up of sustainability news in Aotearoa and the monthly Impact Investing Newsletter.
Books - anything from Jonathan Porrit and I particularly enjoyed The Future We Choose, from Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac.
Podcasts: Outrage and Optimism
And I recommend finding advocates whose work you enjoy reading on LinkedIn and connecting with them.
Events in Aotearoa or globally that you think are must-attend:
I think this depends on where you are in your sustainability journey and your focus for achieving change.
I recommend the SBN course Leadership in Sustainable Business for sustainability practitioners.
Locally the Climate Change and Business Conference from SBC provides a great overview of sustainability in Aotearoa and is a good temperature check (excuse the pun) on local developments.
The annual Responsible Investment Association of Australasia conference highlights the opportunities for capital to flow towards sustainable initiatives and outcomes, and is also a good overview of the New Zealand landscape.
The Social Enterprise World Forum - in Taipai in 2025. This is a very accessible global connection of change-makers and entrepreneurs, which as a hybrid format, to allow in person and online attendance.
If your work could plant one seed of change for the future, what would it be?
After 17 years, the Ākian Foundation closed its doors at the end of April 2025. From the response of those around us it was clear to me that we had planted many seeds of change in that time.
The most significant seeds of change are our alumni across the team and trustees who are going on to do incredible mahi to further our mission of an equitable, prosperous and inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand.
The leader(s) you endorse for a future edition of Blooming Sustainability:
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Te Pūoho Katene, Ākina Board Chair, Executive Director Tapuwae Roa
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Rachel Sanson, Ākina trustee, inter-generational ambassador for climate change, Nelson City Councillor
* One actionable takeaway for our readers to make a change today for a brighter tomorrow:
Your actions matter - Aim for consistency over perfection, and be the change you would like to see in the world.