Lucy Hawcroft
on Rethinking Progress
For Lucy Hawcroft, sustainability is like a kōwhai tree - radiant in bloom, deeply rooted in resilience, and ever-connected to the ecosystems around it. “The kōwhai has always felt symbolic to me,” she shares. “It’s one of the first to flower each spring, reminding us that regeneration is part of every cycle - and that growth doesn’t always mean more, but better.”
As Senior Sustainability Advisor at KiwiRail, Lucy has spent her career translating environmental insight into meaningful action. Her journey has taken her from shaping Auckland Council’s $150 million climate investment package to advancing low-emission transport, adaptation, and resilience initiatives at KiwiRail. Each step, she says, is driven by the same belief: “We can’t separate environmental wellbeing from human wellbeing - they’re one and the same.”
Lucy’s connection to sustainability began early. At 17, living in Bangkok, she saw firsthand how pollution and inequality intertwined. “It hit me that sustainability wasn’t just about nature - it was about justice, opportunity, and the systems we build.” That realisation still fuels her work today, particularly in public infrastructure where social impact and environmental responsibility must go hand in hand.
Her guiding principle comes from the whakataukī Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au — I am the river, and the river is me. “It reminds me that our wellbeing is interdependent with the natural world. When we harm it, we harm ourselves. When we restore it, we heal too.”
Lucy envisions a future where progress is measured not by GDP but by collective wellbeing, community connection, and ecological balance. “Moving beyond growth isn’t about giving up ambition,” she says. “It’s about redefining what success looks like - and choosing systems that let people and nature flourish together.”
Her advice for emerging changemakers? “Climate work is a marathon, not a sprint. You’ll do your best work when you take time to rest, reconnect, and keep perspective. The world needs your energy - but it also needs your endurance.”
Read Lucy’s full reflections in BLOOMING Sustainability - on connection, courage, and redefining what growth truly means.
BLOOMING Sustainability Questionnaire
Name: Lucy Hawcroft
Company & Title: Senior Sustainability Advisor, KiwiRail
Website & LinkedIn Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-hawcroft-36a49552
* Guiding Values | Kaupapa
If sustainability were a flower blooming in your life, what would it look like? What nurtures it?
An exuberant kōwhai tree, with hundreds of beautiful yellow blossoms. It nurtures my energy for sustainability to spend time in nature with my children – getting fresh air and exercise, cycling, walking or swimming outdoors. It also reminds me of how precious and fragile our natural environment is and the value of taking action to protect it. I also took up Bollywood dance a few years ago – I love having a fun challenging hobby – it fills up my cup and gives me energy for work.
A quote, personal motto or whakataukī that reflects your vision:
There are two that spring to mind – one is a whakataukī of Whanganui iwi:
Ko au te awa
Ko te awa ko au.
I am the river and the river is me.
While I would never claim the deep connection that mana whenua have to their awa or rohe, this whakataukī is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness between humans and te taiao. It highlights that our wellbeing is dependent on the wellbeing of the natural world.
The other quote I often think about comes from a poem by John Donne, “No man is an island, Entire of itself.. Any man's death diminishes me, Because I am involved in mankind.”
It speaks to me of the responsibility that people like myself, who are lucky to live in NZ and have secure employment in a safe, peaceful and affluent country, hold to try and improve the wellbeing of those who are less fortunate than us.
If you could mentor a rising change-maker in Aotearoa, what advice would you share?
My main advice would be not to over-extend yourself and take too much on (something I am getting better at with time). It is important to take regular breaks and holidays with friends and family. Working on climate change and the environment is a marathon not a sprint and there is always more that could be done. Remember to look after yourself as well, and recharge your energy, before going back to the mahi.
* Leading Change | Arataki
A key moment in your journey that shaped your path:
Living in Thailand when I was 17 and seeing how deeply polluted the environment was in Bangkok and how exposed the lower income residents were to air and water pollution. It made me very aware of how privileged we are in NZ and determined to protect our environment.
What’s the main challenge you face in driving sustainability within your sector?
One of the biggest challenges for sustainable transport is that most decarbonization projects need upfront investment, for example, to install charging infrastructure or purchase new vehicles. They will often deliver whole of life savings, but it is hard to get started in a resource constrained environment. This challenge is common across many sectors right now.
An area you need more support with:
I am grappling with the challenges around improving resilience to coastal change and flooding and setting meaningful indicators or targets for resilience. Developing systems to collate data relating to adaptation is difficult, but key to demonstrate the value of proactive work to enhance resilience.
On a personal level, I am currently caring for two people with dementia which is challenging alongside having children. I am grateful for the support of my managers (past and present) in regards to flexible working so I can attend medical appointments but I wish the health system was better set up to support those with dementia.
An Indigenous perspective you admire and want people to be mindful of:
The perspective in Te Ao Māori that all things are related, and therefore the wellbeing of people depends on the wellbeing of their environment (and vice versa) is valuable to me. Sir Mason Durie’s perspective of Te Whare Tapa Wha –considering wellbeing as multi-dimensional is useful - both at a personal and national level. It helps us to move beyond considering just GDP or economic growth as the key measure of national wellbeing, and consider also the health of our people, the strength of their social connections, the health of our natural environment etc.
Your best approach for engaging stakeholders in meaningful dialogue about ESG:
Take the time to build relationships and understand peoples’ priorities. You will get further if you listen to them first, and then try to shape your support to their goals – rather than just pushing your own priorities.
What do you think is Aotearoa’s superpower in creating a sustainable future?
I think we have three.
Our ability to draw on indigenous knowledge and matauranga Māori to support our response to climate change and other major challenges. Also the role that iwi authorities and iwi owned businesses can play in delivering a sustainable future in partnership with the Crown. The development happening around Carrington in Auckland is a great example of how iwi are leading delivery of sustainable, compact housing which will meet future generations’ needs.
Our energy mix is almost 90% renewable. While we are having some challenges with affordability and supply right now, we have a strong base to build on and that does put us in an amazing place to decarbonize transport and industry rapidly.
As a country we have a lot of experience in dealing with natural disasters – Cyclone Gita, the Auckland Floods, the Kaikoura and Canterbury Earthquakes for example. We can build on the learnings from those events and the frameworks we have already developed to fund natural disaster response to support our climate resilience.
* Surfing the Green Wave | Kakariki
Events in Aotearoa or globally that you think are must-attend:
I enjoy listening to Katherine Hayhoe’s podcast Talking Climate. Some other influential books - The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup and The Spirit Level, by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett. The Workshop’s research on narrative framing is useful to consider when communicating, as well as the wealth of research by environmental psychologists on how to effectively talk about climate change.
A sustainable initiative or project in Aotearoa that deserves more attention:
I honestly don’t have one – both Sustainable Business Council and Sustainable Business Network offer a lot of excellent training and events. Chapter Zero also offer many educational workshops and breakfasts.
A sustainable initiative or project in Aotearoa that deserves more attention:
In general, community-led responses to climate change need more support. I would love to see iwi and marae receive more support for environmental restoration projects, the Environmental Hubs of Aotearoa having more sustained funding and all the hundreds of excellent community-based conservation projects. Food rescue hubs – I wish they were not required, but right now they are and urgently need more sustainable funding.
If your work could plant one seed of change for the future, what would it be?
I hope that by the time my children are adults we will have moved beyond a mindset of economic growth at any environmental cost, to a focus on long-term sustainability and living well in a balance with nature. Specific change - I’d like freight to become a part of the conversation about transport decarbonization and someday see electric trains running from Auckland to Tauranga. Also, safe and convenient transport choices in our cities for all the ways people want to travel, including walking, cycling public transport and driving.
The leader(s) you endorse for a future edition of Blooming Sustainability: So many amazing leaders!
Carla Gee, Michelle Deely, Cornell Tukiri, Holly Walker, Dr Parin Rafiei-Thompson, Emily Mabin Sutton, Cathy Bebelman, Lia Lamuel-Daniel, Vicktoria Blake, Manu Caddie, Michelle Blau, Greer Rasmussen, Julia Lindesay, and everybody in all the teams I have ever worked with – they’re all sustainability champions ;-)
* One actionable takeaway for our readers to make a change today for a brighter tomorrow:
It’s easy to get focused on gathering the facts and figures to make your case but most change in big organisations happens due to relationships. Focus on building strong relationships– both with people in formal leadership positions and those who can be champions or leaders for sustainability in their team or role.
