Climate resilience is becoming a core technology strategy

When people talk about climate action, the conversation often focuses on emissions. That's understandable. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions remains one of the most important things organisations can do to help limit the impacts of climate change. Technology businesses, alongside every other sector, have a role to play in reducing their environmental footprint and supporting the transition to a lower-carbon future.

But as climate impacts become increasingly visible, it's clear that reducing emissions is only part of the equation. Businesses now need to both reduce future harm and keep operating through the disruption already happening.

The reality is that some of the impacts of climate change are already being felt today. This past year we've seen increasingly frequent and disruptive weather events. As a company that underpins Aotearoa New Zealand's technology landscape, we see this first-hand when power outages affect connectivity or digital infrastructure is damaged. It reminds us that while we must continue reducing future emissions, we also need to ensure our systems and communities are resilient enough to adapt.

This is why I believe climate action needs two equally important components: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation focuses on reducing emissions. Adaptation focuses on responding to climate impacts and building resilience. Too often, they're treated as separate conversations. In reality, they're deeply connected.

Organisations that focus only on adaptation risk treating the symptoms without addressing the cause. Equally, organisations that focus only on emissions reduction may find themselves unprepared for the physical impacts that are already affecting the environments in which they operate. The most effective climate strategies need to do both.

This thinking sits at the heart of our recently published 2026 Sustainability Report, tracking activity during our previous financial year (FY26). During the year, One NZ reached an important milestone with the verification of our emissions reduction targets by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). We've committed to reducing absolute Scopes 1 and 2 (operational) emissions, and Scope 3 (value chain) emissions, by 42% by FY30 from a FY24 baseline year.

While setting targets is important, the real challenge is turning ambition into action. For us, that includes continuing to improve energy efficiency across our network, sourcing renewable electricity, exploring onsite renewable energy generation and reducing emissions across our value chain. During FY26, data carried across our network increased by 28% and network coverage expanded significantly, while power consumption increased by 26%, demonstrating the ongoing focus on improving efficiency as demand for connectivity continues to grow.

It also means finding practical ways to reduce waste and support circularity. During FY26, more than 26,000 devices were traded in through our trade-in programme, a 50% increase on the previous year. In April, we launched New Zealand's first telco refurbished phone offering, helping keep devices in use for longer and reducing the need for new manufacturing.

These initiatives are mitigation in action.  But mitigation alone is no longer enough.

As New Zealand experiences more frequent weather-related disruptions, resilience is becoming an increasingly important part of the sustainability conversation. As New Zealand's telco, these are not theoretical ideas for One NZ. Connectivity plays a critical role in how people communicate, access information, run businesses and stay connected with family and friends. During emergencies, that role becomes even more important. 

This is one of the reasons we've continued investing in the resilience of our network and exploring new technologies that can strengthen connectivity.

Cyclone Gabrielle highlighted this need, prompting us to launch satellite-to-mobile services. While satellite connectivity is not a replacement for terrestrial mobile networks, it provides an additional layer of resilience in areas beyond traditional coverage or when existing infrastructure is unavailable. 

During FY26, more than 15 million messages were sent via One NZ Satellite, highlighting the growing role these technologies can play in supporting connectivity. Wild weather events throughout 2025 and into 2026 meant we needed to turn on an emergency extended satellite-to-mobile service multiple times, so that communities experiencing power cuts and facing mobile outages could still send messages and communicate with loved ones. 

The opportunity extends well beyond telecommunications. One of the themes explored in our Sustainability Report is how connectivity and technology can support broader environmental and resilience outcomes across New Zealand.

Through our partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC), we're exploring how connected technologies can support conservation activities in some of New Zealand's most remote locations. Reliable connectivity helps field teams coordinate activities in areas where communications have traditionally been challenging. This has the potential to improve safety, support biodiversity outcomes and help conservation teams make more informed decisions in the field.

We're also seeing similar opportunities emerge in agriculture. Through our work with Pāmu, connected sensors are providing real-time visibility across farming operations. Rather than travelling long distances to check assets such as water tanks, farm teams can monitor conditions remotely and respond when intervention is needed.

The result is greater operational efficiency, better decision-making and fewer unnecessary trips across large properties. 

What makes these examples even more interesting is that they demonstrate how mitigation and adaptation can work together. The same technologies that help organisations operate more efficiently and reduce emissions can often help them become more resilient at the same time.

For the technology sector, this presents an important opportunity. Technology has a critical role to play in helping New Zealand respond to climate change, not only by supporting emissions reductions but also by helping communities, businesses and infrastructure adapt to a changing world.

Reducing emissions remains essential. But the next phase of climate action cannot be measured by carbon alone. For businesses, the real test is whether they can cut emissions and operate more efficiently while also keeping communities connected and essential services running when disruption hits.

That is where mitigation and adaptation stop being separate sustainability concepts and become core business capability. The organisations best positioned for the future will be those that design for both: lower emissions and greater resilience. Not one after the other, but together.