Building a blue economy

In this webinar, Nick Lewis (University of Auckland) discusses the Challenge's definition of a 'blue economy', a term which is being increasingly used around the world. This webinar bridges the blue economy research he did in Phase I (2014-2019), with what we are now working on for blue economy in Phase II (2019-2024).

He discusses the idea that we need to rethink the way we measure and manage a blue economy - it is more complex than a set of monetary returns can reflect. He suggests that a blue economy could be thought about in terms of categories (eg, Māori or Community), rather than traditional sectors or values (eg, Aquaculture or Tourism). A series of system maps is presented to illustrate that a blue economy is more interconnected and complicated than we might perceive from the outside.

He also introduces examples of New Zealand-based initiatives and activities that are beginning to show a new way of approaching the challenge of a blue economy. Also introduced are our Phase II research projects that will explore new approaches for a blue economy. The presentation finishes with a short discussion on the economic opportunities under a COVID-19 context.

There is a 15 minute Q+A session at the end.

This webinar was held 11 am, Tuesday 11 August

See presentation slides below: