Webinar: Safeguarding the Future

This was a public webinar. You can watch a recording here.

The challenges of our century — climate disruption, demographic change, technological transformation, and widening inequality — demand responses that extend beyond political cycles. Acting for the long term is no longer a choice but an imperative, ensuring that today’s decisions do not come at the expense of tomorrow’s generations.

The adoption of the UN Declaration on Future Generations in 2024 marks a turning point in embedding intergenerational justice into global governance. Yet declarations alone are not enough: real change requires domestic action.

In this webinar, global advocate for intergenerational justice, Jacob Ellis, was joined by leading New Zealand voices to discuss the importance of courageous national leadership and active civic movements in safeguarding the future for generations to come.

Speakers include:

Jacob Ellis

Jacob Ellis is the Co-Lead and Founder of the Impact Coalition for Future Generations & Director for External Relations and Culture, Office of the Future Generations Commissioner, Wales. He has a background as a policymaker, civil society leader, and global advocate for intergenerational justice. As one of the key figures behind the implementation of Wales’ world-leading Well-being of Future Generations Act, Jacob has worked across national governments and multilateral systems to inspire policy change and build movements that prioritise long-term thinking.

Simon Upton

Simon Upton is in his second five-year term as Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.

A Member of Parliament between 1981 and 2000, Simon became one of New Zealand’s youngest Cabinet Ministers in 1990 and held a variety of ministerial portfolios including environment, research, biosecurity, health and state services between 1990 and 1999.

After leaving Parliament, Simon moved to Paris to chair the Round Table on Sustainable Development at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In 2005, he returned to New Zealand to pursue a number of private sector roles while continuing to chair the Round Table. In 2010 he returned to the OECD full time as Environment Director, a post he held for seven years until coming back to take up his current role.

Simon is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a Rhodes Scholar, with degrees in English literature, music and law from the University of Auckland, and an MLitt in political philosophy from Oxford University. He was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council in 1999.

Sophie Handford

Sophie Handford is a 24-year-old Councillor and activist from Kāpiti, New Zealand.

Sophie founded School Strike 4 Climate in Aotearoa NZ and went on to coordinate the movement which mobilised 170,000 people across the country in September of 2019, united for climate justice. She then ran for Council at the age of 18 and was elected as one of Aotearoa’s youngest Councillors, onto the Kāpiti Coast District Council. She is now chairing its Strategy, Operations and Finance Committee.

Jonathan Boston

Jonathan Boston ONZM is a Helen Clark Foundation Honorary Senior Fellow.

Jonathan is an Emeritus Professor of Public Policy in the School of Government at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. His research interests include: climate
change policy (both mitigation and adaptation); child poverty; governance (especially anticipatory governance); public management; tertiary education funding (especially research funding); and welfare state design.

Jonathan has has served at various times as the Director of the Institute of Policy Studies and the Director of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. He has also served in an expert advisory capacity to various public sector organisations. Jonathan has published widely on a range of matters including public management, social policy, climate change policy, tertiary education policy, and comparative government. He has served on the boards of a number of organisations including Oxfam NZ.

Murray Bruges

Murray Bruges is the Executive Director of the Helen Clark Foundation. Prior to the Foundation, Murray worked for Fonterra Co-operative Group in Auckland on resource management and environmental policy. From 2011 to 2020, Murray worked for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in a range of roles focused on trade, economic, tech and climate policy, including a three year posting to the New Zealand Consulate General in Los Angeles. Earlier in his career, Murray worked for the Ministry of Fisheries on a range of policy issues. He lives in Auckland with his wife and son.