Gemma Livingston

For Gemma Livingston, sustainability is captured perfectly by the kōwhai. “It’s a tree that gives so freely,” she says. “It reminds me that we’re part of something larger — and responsible for helping it thrive.”

Growing up surrounded by bush, the tūī calling from the kōwhai was once the soundtrack to her mornings. When she returned to Aotearoa after living abroad, the birdsong was suddenly stronger. “I realised it didn’t just ‘come back,’” she reflects. “It came back because people cared, because someone took responsibility.”
That moment crystallised something important for her: sustainability is communal — we all notice different things, and together that forms the whole picture.

As Special Counsel, Responsible Business and Pro Bono Director at DLA Piper, Gemma’s work sits at the intersection of human rights, justice, and business accountability. She often returns to Eleanor Roosevelt’s reminder that universal rights begin “in small places, close to home.”

“That idea grounds me,” she says. “Human rights aren’t abstract. They show up in workplaces, in neighbourhoods, in how we treat one another every day.”

Her systems thinking was shaped during her years as a criminal prosecutor, working with Police, DIA, Customs, NGOs, tech partners, and international agencies to combat child sexual abuse material. “I learned quickly that no single part of the system can solve a problem this big,” she says. “If one part stands still, progress falls apart.”

The lesson stayed with her: collaboration isn’t optional — it’s the only path forward.

In the ESG and responsible business world, Gemma applies the same mindset. Legislation is critical, she notes, but modern slavery risk cannot be managed by “tick-box transparency.”
“Detection isn’t failure,” she emphasises. “Detection is progress. It means you’re actually looking.”

Her approach to stakeholder engagement reflects this too. “Sustainability teams can’t carry the whole load,” she says. “You need people across the business moving in the same direction, even if at different speeds.”

Indigenous principles of collective responsibility also shape her thinking. “We don’t exist outside the system — we’re woven into it,” she says. “Our wellbeing is interdependent.”

Gemma draws continuous learning from the global human rights community — Human Rights Watch, the Australian Institute of Criminology, ICMEC, and youth-led platforms like Missing Perspectives. “They keep me honest,” she says. “They remind me what’s at stake.”

Closer to home, she believes the Pro Bono Collaborative Framework launched in 2024 is one of Aotearoa’s most meaningful steps toward collective justice. “It proves what’s possible when law firms stop working in silos,” she says. “Access to justice strengthens when everyone contributes.”

If Gemma could leave people with one seed of reflection, it would be to pause and ask two simple questions:
“Who benefits and who is left out?”
and
“Who can I collaborate with to close that gap?”

Because for Gemma, sustainability has never been a solo effort — “It’s always been about what we can build together.”

BLOOMING  Sustainability Questionnaire

Name: Gemma Livingston

Company & Title: DLA Piper New Zealand, Special Counsel Responsible Business and Pro Bono Director

Website & LinkedIn Profile: https://www.dlapiper.com/en/people/l/livingston-gemma

(3) Gemma Livingston | LinkedIn

* Guiding Values | Kaupapa

A quote, personal motto or whakataukī that reflects your vision:

The kōwhai embodies regeneration, generosity, and interconnectedness, values central to sustainability conversations. Growing up surrounded by bush, tūi singing in the kōwhai was my alarm clock. Tūī and kōwhai have a mutualistic relationship. Over the years, life got busy and the bird song faded unnoticed by me. While I was living overseas, the suburb I grew up in focused on pest eradication in the bush. The morning sounds (or as my children call it, the 'dawn parade') are strong again and the kōwhai trees are blooming in abundance. I realised how much had changed in my local ecosystem without my noticing. We all have different sustainability priorities - I missed the obvious decline in bird song, but someone else noticed, cared, and took action. Sustainability is not about any one person or one issue, it is about the deep interconnectedness between people and planet. We each have a role to play, and when we act collectively, we create the conditions for kōwhai, and our communities to thrive.

A quote, personal motto or whakataukī that reflects your vision:

Eleanor Roosevelt said: "where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."

In a time when rhetoric of division feels louder, we need to remember that dignity, equality, and justice start in our own communities. Modern slavery is one example. While debate often focuses on compliance costs and extensive global supply chains, exploitation is happening here in Aotearoa. Protecting human rights isn’t abstract. It's about ensuring every person in our neighbourhoods, workplaces, and schools are treated with respect.

If we uphold these values close to home, we strengthen our society and create the conditions for progress everywhere.

If you could mentor a rising change-maker in Aotearoa, what advice would you share?

I believe diverse networks and collaboration are gold. Be curious- you don’t know what you don’t know, so listen and continue to learn from a range of influences. Also, leave your imposter syndrome at the door. I’ve sat in rooms where the loudest voices and most dominant opinions came from those in positions of power or age. However, confidence doesn’t always equal competence. Don’t be intimidated by titles or volume. Your lived experience, your curiosity, and your willingness to learn are valuable. Diversity of thought and background drives real change, so speak up, ask questions, and trust that your perspective matters.

* Leading Change | Arataki

A key moment in your journey that shaped your path:

This question got me thinking about when cross sector collaboration became a core focus of mine.

As a criminal prosecutor, I worked with the DIA, Police, and Customs to prosecute individuals involved in child sexual abuse material offending. This type of offending demands coordinated action, not just among law enforcement in Aotearoa and internationally, but also with ISPs, tech platforms, NGOs, policy makers, educators, victim support services, and increasingly, telcos and financial institutions. Law enforcement alone cannot stop child sexual abuse or the revictimisation of children as material is shared globally. It takes everyone working together across prevention, detection, disruption, prosecution, education, rehabilitation, and redress to make meaningful progress.

That work cemented my belief that cross-sector engagement is essential for ESG advancement. Progress in one area will always fall short if other parts of the system remain unchanged. For example, detecting and prosecuting offenders is critical, but you cannot prosecute your way out of CSAM crimes. While offenders continue to have access to tools and technologies that enable offending, businesses do not consider safety by design as new tech emerges, if laws are outdated or ineffective, and if support services are under-resourced - the cycle continues. The same applies to business. Responsible business isn’t just about reducing direct harm, but also about understanding and addressing the indirect consequences of operations. A whole-of-impact approach is needed, one that considers not just what a business does, but what it enables, ignores, or perpetuates.

Equally, addressing human rights issues requires cross-sector collaboration that spans the full matrix of the problem, from prevention and policy to enforcement, support, and accountability. Change in one area alone is not enough, without coordinated action across all parts of the system, progress will be fragmented and unsustainable.

An area our sector needs more support with:
New Zealand’s business sector must step up and address modern slavery with courage and collaboration. Legislation is a vital lever for transparency. It builds trust with consumers and investors, and positions NZ competitively in markets where ethical standards are non-negotiable. However, transparency is only part of the solution. Modern slavery is organised crime, and tackling it requires more than just reporting. Human rights due diligence demands proactive investigations, risk detection, and accountability. Responsible businesses normalise prevention and treat finding exploitation as progress, not failure.

An Indigenous perspective you admire and want people to be mindful of:

Collective responsibility. When outcomes are shared and success is measured by the health of the whole ecosystem, not just individuals or business gain, we create resilience and equity. This perspective reminds us that every decision has ripple effects. By prioritising the wellbeing of people, land, and community together, we strengthen relationships, reduce harm, and ensure sustainable progress. Collective responsibility fosters trust, accountability, and a sense of belonging, which ultimately benefits everyone.

Your best approach for engaging stakeholders in meaningful dialogue about ESG:

At a social impact level, I've found that when stakeholders learn I have a background in criminal law, commercial litigation and business consulting (not just human rights), they're more open to engaging. It signals that I approach ESG and social impact from multiple perspectives, not a single human rights lens.

Meaningful dialogue starts by acknowledging competing priorities and regulatory pressures. Human rights due diligence is not a tick-box exercise. It is an integrated, ongoing risk management process that evolves over time. It takes time to do well and doesn’t need to be all-consuming at the outset.

By framing responsible business conversations around the balance between business needs, ESG compliance, and human rights, we create space for practical, constructive engagement. That's how we drive progress without expecting perfection on day one.

* Surfing the Green Wave | Kakariki

Books, podcasts, courses or other resources that profoundly shaped your approach to sustainability:

It is terribly cliché but a lot of the material I read or listen to is because someone whose opinion I value has sent it to me or shared it on LinkedIn.

I receive a lot of human rights newsletters in my inbox but ensure I read new updates from the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) and the Australian Institute of Criminology- who have an amazing team specialising in the child exploitation space. The Human Rights Watch website, reports and articles are invaluable, and I will always read the annual HRW World report released at the start of each year.

I recommend Missing perspectives, that share stories, perspectives and news written by young women filling a gap in traditional news media. I have also enjoyed listening to Holly Hedley's new podcast series, Somewhere, on trauma-informed legal practice.

A sustainable initiative or project in Aotearoa that deserves more attention:

The Pro Bono Collaborative Framework, launched in November 2024 by six law firms and Te Ara Ture, is a game-changer for access to justice in Aotearoa. It sets clear expectations for firms to champion pro bono and collaborate on building greater opportunities for communities and charities who need legal support most.

What makes this framework powerful is its collective approach. Members share sector insights, tackle complex matters together, and organise training opportunities that benefit the entire sector. Similar models in Australia and the UK have driven substantial growth in pro bono work, proving that collaboration works.

If we want the same progress here, this framework needs visibility and support. It is not just a legal initiative. It is a sustainability initiative, because access to justice underpins social equity and community resilience.

The leader(s) you endorse for a future edition of Blooming Sustainability:

Laura Scampion DLA Piper

Daniel Street DLA Piper

Rebecca Kingi ANZ

Rebekah Armstrong World Vision

Kaapua Smith KPMG

* One actionable takeaway for our readers to make a change today for a brighter tomorrow:

Try asking two questions in every sustainability discussion:

1) who benefits and who is left out?

2) is there someone I can collaborate with to close that gap?

These questions shift thinking from isolated action to collective impact.

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