Nine Kiwi startups could offset emissions at the scale of NZ forests

The report notes that just nine of these companies could cut global Greenhouse Gas emissions by 19.2 million tonnes a year by 2030, roughly the same as the carbon absorbed by New Zealand’s forests.

Commenting on the report, MacDiarmid Institute Director Professor Nicola Gaston said what stands out is that many of these companies are based on talent and IP coming straight out of research labs.

‘We’re seeing our scientists and engineers step into founder roles and turn New Zealand’s world-class research into real-world climate solutions.’

The report authors say there’s an opportunity to leverage New Zealand’s strengths and grow the commercial and environmental benefits of our public research here and that Cleantech innovators are scaling quickly, with the need for capital outstripping supply.

The preface to the previous Cleantech report in 2024 included the aspirations of Will Barker, CEO of Mint Innovation, who said:

‘In the landscape of global innovation, New Zealand occupies a unique position - a fertile ground for the seeds of clean technology. Yet, despite its promising environment for development, the domestic market does not fully capture the potential of these emerging clean technologies and the longer-term impact they could have on the New Zealand economy.’

Mint Innovation has since established commercial partnerships with Jaguar and HP to recycle lithium batteries and recover metals from circuit boards, respectively.

Nicola said that the 2024 Cleantech Report had identified New Zealand’s Cleantech sector as full of promise with real global potential.

'This 2026 Cleantech Report shows it’s now actually happening,' she said. 'Companies are scaling quickly and delivering real impact across energy and sustainability, but they are starting to run up against a lack of capital to keep that momentum going.'

She said this reinforced the importance of a strong ecosystem to support those leading this work in New Zealand.

‘It has taken a long time to build this capability, and the expertise now moving from research labs into commercial Cleantech is something we need to protect and cherish,’ Nicola said.

'This report really shows the role of researchers in building this Cleantech ecosystem,' she added.

Sophie Braggins, Ara Ake chief executive, says energy innovation remains a major opportunity for New Zealand. This follows Ara Ake’s recent backing of Cetogenix, a New Zealand Cleantech start-up transforming organic biomass into energy, nutrients, and biobased products.

‘We’re committed to supporting start-ups such as Cetogenix and OpenStar Technologies, and we hope this sends a strong signal to the sector,’ she said.

MacDiarmid Institute Deputy Director for Commercialisation, Associate Professor Natalie Plank said New Zealand is doing well for a small country in terms of quality of tech but needs more capital to scale up.

'The potential here is huge, both for emissions reduction and economic growth,’ she says. ‘But to realise it, the Cleantech report is saying these companies need faster access to capital and stronger support to scale.’

The 2026 Cleantech Report has four key recommendations to enhance the impact and commercial success of New Zealand Cleantech researcher innovators:

1. Grow Innovation into Impact – International investors in Cleantech are invited to partner with local innovators to help them scale at pace.
2. Improve Impact Measurement and Communication – Cleantech innovators are urged to calculate their future impact and share these insights with investors and policymakers.
3. Enhance Government Support and International Investment – Government should support Cleantech innovators to scale up for global reach in sourcing capital and market access in the green economy.
4. Integrate Cleantech into Policy – New Zealand policymakers should use this new powerful tool to plan our economic transition to a low carbon economy.

Nicola also said the report reinforces what the government is already hearing from across the research and innovation sector.

‘The government will have seen several recent reports from NZGCP, TIN, NZTech and SBC all pointing to similar conclusions. What sets this report apart is the focus on early-stage Cleantech innovators, many of them operating in the hard to abate areas and offering solutions to energy and supply chain resilience, and critical materials access.’

The report quantifies for the first time the decarbonisation opportunity for local climate innovation.

The report was launched at the first national Cleantech Expo, which was organised by Auckland Council’s Economic Development Office. The expo was hosted by the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and supported by the New Zealand Cleantech Mission.

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