The Insights on Aotearoa New Zealand Sustainability Professionals series is an annual benchmark established in 2020. It examines the structure, roles, development pathways, and working conditions of sustainability professionals across sectors. The series provides a longitudinal view of how the profession is evolving, offering consistent year-on-year comparisons.
Each edition is based on a national survey developed by Oxygen Consulting with academic guidance. The survey is distributed through professional networks, industry associations, and social platforms, and is open to individuals who have sustainability responsibilities in their roles. Data is collected at an aggregate level, ensuring anonymity, and excludes organisational sustainability strategies so the focus remains on the people and capabilities within the profession.
The purpose of the series is to support workforce planning, capability development, and professional understanding within the sustainability field. It offers organisations, policymakers, and educators a structured evidence base on role types, skills expectations, resourcing, and professional experiences.
Finance professionals can use this benchmark to understand how sustainability functions are embedded within organisations, the skillsets required for credible sustainability practice, and how these roles intersect with compliance, risk, reporting, and strategy. The series also helps finance teams anticipate workforce needs related to climate reporting, sustainability disclosure, and ESG capability building.
