Jessie Scott
on Nature, Leadership and Collective Impact
Jessie Scott moves seamlessly between boardrooms and bush tracks. As Sustainability Reporting Manager at Kiwibank, Rotary District Chair for youth programmes across Auckland and Northland, and Board Member for Pest Free Kaipātiki, she blends corporate rigour with hands-on environmental action.
If sustainability were a flower in her life, it would be kākābeak — ngutukākā — the striking red bloom shaped like a kākā’s beak. Flowering in clusters, it symbolises interconnectedness. The seeds can lie dormant for years, waiting for the right conditions to grow. For Jessie, that resilience mirrors sustainability itself: long-term, collective, and capable of thriving even through disruption and ESG backlash.
Her personal motto is simple and urgent: “The time is now, it always has been.”
Jessie’s leadership journey was shaped by attending the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) through PwC NZ — an experience that took her far beyond the consulting environment. It opened the door to designing and leading youth leadership camps, including a first-of-its-kind programme in rural Namosi, Fiji, and another in Apia, Samoa. Developing young leaders — particularly in sustainability — has become central to her kaupapa.
She deeply admires Te Ao Māori perspectives on interconnectedness: the understanding that animals, plants and people are inseparable, and that as kaitiaki we must restore balance. She also points to collectivism — iwi and hapū working together — as a blueprint for systems change.
When engaging stakeholders in ESG, Jessie leads with energy and storytelling. “Stakeholders understand storytelling, values, colours, imagery, and mana,” she says. Data matters — but connection inspires action.
Jessie believes Aotearoa’s superpower lies in nature. From tourism to exports to our global brand, nature is something everyone understands and wants to protect. “We have the knowledge, we have the passion, we need the power!”
Her advice for today? Choose one cause aligned with your values and commit to a skill-based volunteer action. Focused volunteering accelerates your growth, strengthens community, and creates measurable impact. Win, win, win.
Read Jessie’s full answers to Blooming Sustainability to explore her work across banking, biodiversity and youth leadership.
BLOOMING Sustainability Questionnaire
Name: Jessie Scott
Company & Title:
Kaitoitū | Manager - Sustainability Reporting at Kiwibank,
Rotary District Chair (Rotary Youth Programme of Enrichment) Auckland & Northland Districts
Board Member - Pest Free Kaipātiki
Website & LinkedIn Profile:
Kiwibank | Sustainability
Rotary
Our Story | Pest Free Kaipatiki
* Guiding Values | Kaupapa
If sustainability were a flower blooming in your life, what would it look like? What nurtures it?
Kākābeak/ngutukākā, is a beautiful red flower, shaped like a Kākā’s beak, which reminds me of the interconnectedness and ecology of nature. They flower in clusters of 15-20 blooms, highlighting that we must work together to pollinate the next generation of Kākābeak. The seeds are long-lived, can grow through disturbances, and wait for the right conditions to germinate, symbolic of our Sustainability developments amidst the recent ESG backlash noise.
A quote, personal motto or whakataukī that reflects your vision:
“The time is now, it always has been.”
If you could mentor a rising change-maker in Aotearoa, what advice would you share?
Volunteering is one of the most undervalued and cost‑effective ways to build advanced skills that propel your career forward. It provides hands‑on experience, demonstrates genuine passion, and most importantly, creates opportunities to drive meaningful impact in ways that traditional corporate environments sometimes cannot.
* Leading Change | Arataki
A key moment in your journey that shaped your path:
I am forever grateful for the opportunity PwC NZ offered me to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). It afforded me the opportunity to develop my leadership skills outside of the consulting environment, taking me completely out of my comfort zone. Not only do I get the opportunity to create camps for 15–17-year-olds to develop their own leadership and sustainability understanding, I have had the opportunity to lead a first-of-its-kind camp over in rural Namosi, in Suva, Fiji and will be completing a secondary camp in Apia, Samoa in October.
An Indigenous perspective you admire and want people to be mindful of:
I love the way Māori approach the interconnectedness of humanity and nature, the interplay between how animals, plants, and environment should be respected and maintained for future years to come. As kaitiaki (stewards) we have a lot to do to restore this balance. The Western world is only just starting to integrate the connections between climate and nature, something Māori have done for many generations. The second perspective being collectivism and iwi/hapū mindset, another enabler of the transition is being able to share collective knowledge and work together.
Your best approach for engaging stakeholders in meaningful dialogue about ESG:
As a self labelled “extreme extrovert” (no please, ask anyone to validate) I have always found that most people respond best with energy, enthusiasm, teamwork, and optimism. There’s no point talking about something people barely understand [insert emissions inventory zzz] and trying to scare them into action. Worst yet if you have to discuss the ever-changing political winds. Stakeholders understand storytelling, values, colours, imagery, and mana.
What do you think is Aotearoa’s superpower in creating a sustainable future?
I am extremely excited about nature. Why?! Aotearoa New Zealand has such a unique identity and opportunity when it comes to nature. It’s something that everyone understands. It’s something people can tangibly see. It’s something that everyone does not want to lose. More than that, it’s something that people want to do something about. From the GDP of Tourism services, Global exports we grow, to NZ Inc brand. We have the opportunity to restore our brand as “Clean, Green, New Zealand”. What some people don’t realise just yet is that we can achieve climate and social outcomes through the restoration and conservation of nature. And better yet, our iwi/hapū and NGOs have been working on this stuff for years. We have the knowledge, we have the passion, we need the power!
* Surfing the Green Wave | Kakariki
Events in Aotearoa or globally that you think are must-attend:
CCBC Climate Change & Business Conference
SBC Sustainable Business Council toolkit launches
The Aotearoa Circle Launch Huis
Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards
NZ Pride Awards
\Climate Drinks
A sustainable initiative or project in Aotearoa that deserves more attention:
Anything the Aotearoa Circle is working on!
Banded Rail project with PFK Pest Free Kaipātiki
The Red Admiral Project with Moths and Butterfliers of New Zealand Trust
Tara-iti New Zealand Fairy Tern restoration project with DOC
Electrify Aotearoa and entrepreneurship programme with MOA Ministry of Awesome
Beyond Waters Overseas Youth Leadership Camps with Rotary (District 9920)
The leader(s) you endorse for a future edition of Blooming Sustainability:
Eva Swicka (Gyre)
Kate Ferguson (Genesis Energy)
Tami Schiefelbein (Woolworths)
Kelly Flatz (Oxygen Consulting)
Isobel Campbell (Air NZ)
* One actionable takeaway for our readers to make a change today for a brighter tomorrow:
Choose one cause today that aligns to your values. Commit to a concrete skill‑based volunteer action, whether it’s offering to redesign a not-for-profit’s sustainability dashboard, mentoring a young sustainability professional for 30 minutes, or joining a community group to increase your knowledge - because focused, skill‑aligned volunteering accelerates your growth, develops community, and creates measurable impact right now. Win, win, win.
