Otago academic to help Queenstown Lakes District build climate resilience

The planet is lucky to have Professor Sara Walton on its side. A climate action go-getter who spends the bulk of her time teaching students about sustainable business in the Department of Management, she can never resist a new greening challenge.

Sara has just been appointed to the Climate Reference Group (CRG) – a distinguished collection of experts that includes the likes of Dr Jim Salinger, one of the first scientists to address global warming.

The CRG is tasked with providing independent advice to the Queenstown Lakes District Council on climate and biodiversity actions – and though Sara is based in Dunedin, she’s eager to lend a hand to our Otago neighbours.

“Having grown up in Southland and spent many holidays in Queenstown, I’ve witnessed the region’s growth and transformation over the years and would love to contribute to helping the area build resilience for the future and prepare for the challenges of climate change,” Sara says.

“I’m genuinely excited to join the CRG because it offers an opportunity to contribute to one of Aotearoa’s most dynamic regions as it navigates the challenges of climate change and sustainable development. The Queenstown Lakes District sits at the intersection of tourism, community wellbeing, and environmental stewardship which makes it an ideal context for exploring how local government, business, and community initiatives can align for transformative climate action.”

It wasn’t just Sara’s academic smarts that won her a spot on the CRG. It’s what she does with that nous in the community space – how well she walks the talk – that makes her voice so valuable.

Then there’s her highly collaborative style of working. Sara is the co-founder of He Kaupapa Hononga – a network of Otago researchers and collaborators interested in climate change and its impacts; a member of Āmiomio Aotearoa – a transdisciplinary research project focused on a circular economy, funded by the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment; and the project lead of Climate Action Tracker Aotearoa – an online climate impact monitor that distinguishes the greenwashers from the genuinely committed carbon-cutters in the business community.

Queenstown Lakes District Council’s Resilience and Climate Action Manager, Bill Nicoll, says the selection panel was highly impressed with Sara’s CV.

“What stood out to us about Sara was her ability to bridge research, policy, and practice. Through her leadership at the University of Otago and her work on projects such as Āmiomio Aotearoa and the Climate Action Tracker Aotearoa, she’s shown how complex sustainability research can be translated into practical frameworks that help organisations and communities take real climate action.”

Bill says that Sara’s background in business sustainability and climate adaptation, combined with her strong networks across government, academia, and industry, will add real value to the CRG’s collective capability.

“We’re delighted to welcome Sara to the CRG. She brings an exceptional depth of knowledge and expertise in sustainable business, climate risk, and systems thinking, which is directly relevant to the challenges and opportunities facing our district.”

The delight is not all theirs though. Sara says it was the calibre of the group’s experts that prompted her to throw her hat in the ring for the role.

“When I looked at the membership of the CRG I thought, wow – this is a really interesting and inspiring group of people that I would be honoured to work with.”

– Kōrero by Claire Finlayson, Communications Adviser (Otago Business School)