Steven Moe
on planting seeds of sustainable change
Sustainability, for Steven Moe, is less like a fleeting bloom and more like a seed quietly germinating beneath the soil — full of potential, requiring patience, care, and the right environment to thrive. As he reflects, “I see sustainability as a seed which can be nurtured with the right conditions — soil, water, sun — much like the Kahikatea tree flower that quietly blooms over time.”
Steven’s journey is deeply rooted in curiosity and community. A lawyer and partner at Parry Field Lawyers, he leads a team dedicated to supporting purpose-driven entrepreneurs and organisations to build strong, intentional legal foundations for lasting impact. “Getting legal structures right is vital,” he says, “because the way we organise ownership and governance can drive system-level change — even imagining nature itself as a shareholder.”
His approach to sustainability is guided by a gentle yet powerful philosophy captured in his own haiku: “Measure gifts of days / not by how much you harvest / but by seeds you plant.” This mantra encourages a mindset of long-term thinking, resilience, and generosity — planting now without expecting immediate reward.
The wisdom Steven shares for emerging changemakers is clear: “It’s not just about you; it’s about serving your community and others first.” His own pivotal moment came early, when faced with a life-changing decision to move abroad — choosing courage and future reflection over comfort. “Will you regret not going when you are 90?” his father asked. This future-self perspective shapes how Steven approaches all big choices.
When it comes to meaningful conversations about sustainability, Steven reminds us to go beyond acronyms and checklists like ESG or SDGs. Instead, he urges deeper, honest dialogue that connects with people’s core motivations. “It’s about understanding what moves someone at their heart and then linking that to why these big issues matter.”
Steven also champions Indigenous perspectives, particularly the idea of “walking backwards into the future,” knowing our past to wisely navigate what lies ahead. For Aotearoa’s greatest superpower, he looks to Te Ao Māori — the holistic worldview that offers profound guidance if we engage it with curiosity rather than colonial preconceptions.
After years of hosting the Seeds Podcast — a rich collection of conversations with inspiring change agents — Steven continues to plant ideas and cultivate hope. His mission is clear: to nurture sustainable systems where people, nature, and purpose grow together.
If you’re ready to make a difference today, Steven’s advice is simple but powerful: “Be curious and ask everyone you meet about their story — we all have journeys to learn from.”
BLOOMING Sustainability Questionnaire
Name: Steven Moe
Company & Title: Parry Field Lawyers, Partner and Seeds Podcast
Website & LinkedIn Profile:
www.theseeds.nz and www.parryfield.com
* Guiding Values | Kaupapa
If sustainability were a flower blooming in your life, what would it look like? What nurtures it?
The Kahikatea tree flower – though stepping back, the flower will bloom but I like to think of sustainability as a seed which can be nurtured and which will grow if it has the right conditions – soil, water, sun. In the same way we need to nurture our sustainability practice through conditions like patience, encouragement and education.
A quote, personal motto or whakataukī that reflects your vision:
At the start of The Apple Tree, a picture book I wrote which is actually for adults, I put this haiku because it illustrates a lot of my approach:
Measure gifts of days
not by how much you harvest
but by seeds you plant
If you could mentor a rising change-maker in Aotearoa, what advice would you share?
It is not just about you it is about your community and others first – look to serve and ask how you can help others in their journey.
* Leading Change | Arataki
A key moment in your journey that shaped your path:
I was 21 and had a chance to move to Japan for a year – should I take it or not? Many said I should finish my degree and get a job. My father and a friend asked, “will you regret not going when you are 90?” I realized I would and that framing of considering your choices from the perspective of your future self has helped in making all the big decisions.
What’s the main challenge you face in driving sustainability within your sector?
Helping people understand that there are legal structure options and choices which can be made to implement system level change by choices around governance and ownership of your organisation. For example, what might it look like to make nature a shareholder? Am about to release a paper explaining more on this so watch out for that soon.
An area you need more support with:
Asking for help to promote good content that has taken time to curate or create. For example, just released “The Circle: Careers with Impact” a short book and would love for more to find it and share that free download from here https://theseeds.nz/articles/the-circle-careers-with-impact/. Another example is Seeds Podcast which is a labour of love for 8 years now with 450 episodes www.theseeds.nz and I would love more people to listen and tell a friend about it. It has hour long conversations with inspiring people.
An Indigenous perspective you admire and want people to be mindful of:
Walk backwards into the future – a lesson from a guest on Seeds, Anau Mesui Henry, who in this episode shared that we have to know our past to know where we are headed.
Your best approach for engaging stakeholders in meaningful dialogue about ESG:
Try to understand what motivates them at their core and then link that in to why conversations on big issues matter – though I question if ESG is the right way of approaching this? Acronyms like that one or SDGs reduce complexity and don’t serve a greater and deeper conversation. Maybe.
What do you think is Aotearoa’s superpower in creating a sustainable future?
Te Ao Māori is our true superpower because it has so much wisdom to offer us if we choose to explore and understand – not in a continuing colonial mindset but in a deeper curiosity mindset to unlock the concepts it encapsulates (wrote an article for Spinoff on this with Wayne Tukiri).
* Surfing the Green Wave | Kakariki
Books, podcasts, courses or other resources that profoundly shaped your approach to sustainability
Annie Dillard wrote “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” in the 1970s and won the Pulitzer Prize – a meditative reflection on a year spent living on her own by a river, it reinforces that we are connected with nature, not above it. I adore books and would say this is still my favourite. Did I mention Seeds Podcast already? These themes of sustainability come up all the time on it!
Events in Aotearoa or globally that you think are must-attend:
Next year will hold another Seeds Impact Conference as a follow up to the online ones held in 2020 and 2023 – we had 500 join in and the 100 speakers sharing across 32 sessions are all up as videos here. Am seeking collaborators to help run it!
A sustainable initiative or project in Aotearoa that deserves more attention:Tesha from Raglan Food Co started The Values Trust and they are up to some really great initiatives – their focus is Climate, Creatures and Children’s literature! Tesh is the latest guest on Seeds sharing her life story. Also I enjoyed helping set up Rewiring Aotearoa as a charity focused on renewable energy and moving away from fossil fuels.
If your work could plant one seed of change for the future, what would it be?
That getting legal structures right is vital to get the correct foundation for the organsations we start or are involved in. Also, the value of planting seeds even if you will not sit in the shade of the trees that grow.
The leader(s) you endorse for a future edition of Blooming Sustainability:
So many of the 450 guests on Seeds podcast – all of them!
* One actionable takeaway for our readers to make a change today for a brighter tomorrow:
Be curious and ask everyone you meet questions to get an understanding of their story – everyone has a journey and we can learn from each other.