New Zealand’s green businesses are being brought together this week, with the launch of the New Zealand Cleantech and Environment Network NZ-CEN, an online directory designed to showcase New Zealand’s green businesses.

The NZ-CEN online directory is the first of its kind in New Zealand and is designed to promote and connect New Zealand’s green companies with domestic and international markets, distributors and investors, as well as being a platform to provide business intelligence information to members.

on each listed member. It also functions as a collaboration tool for members, all of whom specialise in clean technology or environment-related goods and services, to share market news and best business practices.

NZ-CEN already has 100 high profile members ranging from high-efficiency insulation manufacturers to engineers specialising in sustainable solutions. 

NZ-CEN is offered by The Greenhouse, a company dedicated to growing New Zealand’s clean technology industry providing project advice, investing in and connecting New Zealand companies to overseas investment and business opportunities.

NZ-CEN’s Director Duncan Stewart says there is a great deal of overseas interest in what New Zealand has to offer and, therefore, potential for NZ-CEN to expand.

Stewart suggests that the early success of the directory and commitment of high profile members illustrates New Zealand’s appetite for clean technology, which mirrors an emerging trend toward energy security, renewable energy, waste minimisation, more efficient production and other green business.

“Our vision for the network is to create a hub for New Zealand green companies to collaborate, seek investment and grow. Once we foster that growth we can use it to promote New Zealand’s cleantech industry globally,” he says.

“With NZ-CEN we have a platform to broaden export opportunities and strengthen the message about the capability of the NZ cleantech industry here and overseas. Ultimately, we hope that New Zealand will be at the forefront of green business, which will have a knock-on effect on the New Zealand economy as a whole. It’s said that there is $6 trillion worth of potential in the global green industry and New Zealand should get a share of that.”

Stewart says The Greenhouse is already working to expand the collaborative capabilities of the visual directory. The next step is to roll out a unique digital platform which will allow members to communicate directly with one another. It will also allow The Greenhouse to provide multimedia business intelligence information about the cleantech sector, key markets, investment and other data. The Greenhouse will be collaborating with another specialist company to have this released to members over the next several months.

“The Greenhouse is keen to foster growth in this sector and intends to provide business intelligence to the NZ-CEN community about emerging trends, investment, export markets and other commercially valuable information to help improve decision-making for young companies,” says Stewart.