Waste is a visible symptom of deeper systemic issues. Across Aotearoa New Zealand, organisations, councils, iwi and communities are striving to move beyond the linear logic of take–make–dispose toward circular ways of organising production and consumption, mindful of care for both land and people. However, intentionality alone provides no guarantee of systems transformation. In reality, decision makers still face a host of practical barriers – e.g., energy limitations, infrastructure gaps, supermarket led packaging systems, and policy settings attuned to linearity – as well as conceptual roadblocks that favour status quo over the often complex, relational work required to make circularity real.
Our report is an attempt to shift that reality. We explore where and why circularity is hindered, what types of social and technical innovation are currently emerging, and how ‘better’ measurement can help us identify ‘better’ investments. We begin by situating circular economy as more than just a design toolkit or a new label for recycling. At its strongest, circularity calls for integrated, place-based systems in which resources are reduced, repaired, reused, and only then remanufactured or safely returned to nature.
In Aotearoa, such aspirations intersect with Māori economic thinking that is regenerative, relational and inherently circular – spirality: cycles that return and evolve rather than simply close. Recognising this heritage challenges narrow interpretations of circular economy and highlights reciprocity, kaitiakitanga and rangatiratanga as foundational for transition.
In this industry insights report, we summarise insights from our 2025 Measuring Circular Economies Symposium, featuring keynote speaker Dr Jay Whitehead (Matatihi), and keynote respondents Assoc Prof Stephen Healy (Western Sydney University) and Professor Abby Mellick Lopes (UTS). The report finds that many of the challenges of measuring circular economies come from uncertainty about what to measure and how to measure it. The report was funded by Massey University and was part of a one year project carried out by a team including Kelly Dombroski, Nitha Palakshappa, Derrylea Hardy, Sita Venkateswar, Georgia McLellan and Gradon Diprose.
We hope to use the insights from this report to inform future work in the area of circular economy return on investment tool design.
Download the report at:
https://communityeconomies.org/publications/reports/measuring-circular-economies-industry-insights
If video is more your thing, further information and recordings from the symposium can be found on Youtube.
