For more than 20 years, Sue has been involved in reuse, recycling and zero waste advocacy. As Wastebusters Wanaka GM, Sue worked on local operations, business and network development, influencing policy and campaigning for real change. This on-the-ground work has given Sue in-depth insight into the critical need for well-designed product stewardship schemes to properly finance the operational side of resource recovery. In 2020, Sue shifted to work on external affairs with the Zero Waste Network. Sue has contributed extensively to New Zealand waste policy processes and the agencies working to reduce waste and emissions, through frameworks such as product stewardship. She is a member of New Zealand's Waste Advisory Board, and was a part of the waste advisory group supporting the development of New Zealand's 2023 Waste Strategy. She is on the Steering Group of the Plastic Packaging Product Stewardship Scheme co-design process, and a long-term contributor to the national conversation about the need for a beverage container return scheme. Sue has a social sciences background and a deep interest in community enterprise and the critical role of local-scale action in making a just transition to a zero waste, zero carbon Aotearoa.

Ingrid Cronin-Knight is the Chief Growth and Sustainability Officer at WM New Zealand, the largest recycling and waste organisation in the country. She has been accountable for the organisation’s Porohita (to be circular) strategy, which has seen an increase in the organisation’s collections and processing for recovery and the launch of the Circular Services Division. WM New Zealand has worked extensively with Tyrewise as a collector and processor in the new product stewardship scheme. Her team provide product management and sustainability services to help customers reuse, repair, and recycle materials along with lowering their emission from waste. She has a background in designing products to reduce their environmental impacts, along with an MBA from Henely Business School in the UK.

As a Sustainability Partner at The Warehouse Group, Caroline leads the Group’s product stewardship initiatives and has a specific focus on post-consumer circularity and sustainable innovation where she is developing and driving delivery of progressive strategies and plans to advance the Group’s Sustainable Living Plan and its goals.

Belinda is the education advisor in the Resource Recovery team at Hamilton City Council. She educates the local community on waste minimization, supporting them to understand the waste hierarchy and all the achievable ways they can reduce their waste and make a positive difference in this space. Belinda also works with schools, community groups and businesses and is a practical person motivated by action. Prior to working in waste, Belinda had a long career in education as a classroom teacher, senior teacher, deputy principal and learning support coordinator. This gave Belinda great skills in problem solving and a solution-oriented approach to issues. Belinda has skills in behavior change which is a vital part of her current role. She enjoys building impactful and positive partnerships between council and residents to support long term solutions in the waste minimization space.

Mark is a former Head of Sustainability at Eunomia, an aerospace engineer by background, with 30 years in environmental consultancy, focusing on business resource efficiency, and sustainability in product policy, with an emphasis on packaging, EEE and batteries. In this time, he has advised many national and global corporates, the European Commission, the Governments of the UK and New Zealand, and the US EPA, on EPR and other aspects of ‘good practice’ in wider product stewardship. Having been a member of the WasteMINZ Product Stewardship group over the last two years, and living, working and travelling for one year in Auckland and across the country, he has been able to contribute effectively to the national debate, bringing EU and UK good practice ideas, whilst keeping in mind the Aotearoa context. While he now lives part of the time in the UK and Australia, he continues to work on various projects with New Zealand colleagues at Eunomia, and will be visiting quite regularly.

Annabelle is the Bid and Sustainability Manager at Smart Environmental (Smart), which she joined in July of this year. Prior to this, Annabelle worked as a Bid Writer for WM New Zealand and GHD. Prior to moving to Auckland, Annabelle worked in the construction industry in Queenstown, in part as a NZGBC Homestar Assessor. One of the most interesting and challenging credits to achieving a Homestar rating is minimising waste during a residential build. Her current role involves leading Smart’s journey on its carbon accounting, and this allows her to focus on initiatives that promote closed loop systems and a circular economy. She has a genuine passion for designing out waste at the source and believes product stewardship is key. Annabelle is excited about the opportunity to work with others in the sector in pursuit of these goals, and to help New Zealand constantly improve when it comes to waste.

Brigitte Sistig is the Founder of Repair Network Aotearoa (RNA). She is a creative and committed grassroots community leader who enjoys working collaboratively and networking collectively. Her vision of the RNA ecosystem engendered a solid foundation across multiple sectors in New Zealand and the international Right to Repair Movement. Brigitte actively works toward enabling communities, businesses, and government to co-create a repair culture in Aotearoa.

Daniel is a passionate and experienced member of our industry. He has an extensive understanding of product stewardship schemes both nationally and internationally. Being an employee of Re.Group for the last two years has enabled Daniel to better understand how schemes are developed and managed to deliver great results for our environment and communities. Daniel wants to take this invaluable experience and help shape future product stewardship policy and scheme development for Aotearoa New Zealand.