20 May 2026
We are privileged to have been selected by Victoria University of Wellington as a nominee for The Earthshot Prize, alongside five other Kiwi companies showcasing climate leadership and innovation.
Learn more about the nominations in this media release from Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington:
As one of only two official Earthshot Prize nominators in New Zealand, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is privileged to announce its choice of nominees for the 2026 Earthshot Prize.
The six local climate solutions nominated for the multimillion-dollar funding represent the very best of Kiwi innovation, and the power of people coming together to tackle global environmental challenges.
They include bale wrap made from jute, packaging made from mushrooms, and interior design panels made from recycled plastic. Collective efforts are helping to clean the ocean from plastic pollution, to support farming be more sustainable, and to grow kelp forests.
Andrew Wilks, Manutaki—Director, Sustainability at Victoria University of Wellington, says, “As a sustainability thought leader in New Zealand, Vic Uni is charged as an official nominator in a global network of 361 nominators for The Earthshot Prize.
“There were remarkable applications again this year, but Vic Uni is excited to elevate these six New Zealand solutions to the world stage through The Earthshot Prize because every single one has the power to change the world. They’re affordable, immediately scalable, and could create true global transformation.”
Mr Wilks says the prize is awarded to projects that highlight human ingenuity, drive change, and inspire collective action.
“The very best national qualities are clear in our successful New Zealand nominees. There’s the No. 8 wire ingenuity that’s led to developing alternatives to plastic or reusing it by Critical, Mushroom Material, and KiwiEconet. Meanwhile, the power of the Kiwi working bee is evident in the community-building work of AgriZeroNZ, Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust, and Sea Cleaners.”
Our six New Zealand nominees for the Earthshot Prize 2026 are:
AgriZeroNZ: The public-private partnership AgriZeroNZ invests to accelerate the development and deployment of tools for farmers to reduce agricultural emissions while staying profitable and productive. Half-owned by the New Zealand government and half-owned by major agribusinesses and banks, it’s driving solutions for pasture-based farms that can be scaled globally.
Critical.: Critical. is a Māori-led clean-tech company transforming hard-to-recycle plastic waste into near carbon-neutral circular building materials called Cleanstone. Made in Aotearoa from 100 percent reclaimed plastic waste, Cleanstone replaces short-life interior materials that typically end up in landfill after only a few years. Critical. is now developing compact microfactories designed to help communities around the world transform local waste into high-value materials, jobs, and circular economic opportunity through regenerative manufacturing.
KiwiEconet: This Southland invention of 100 percent natural and organic jute fibre netting, KiwiEconet, replaces the plastic wrap used for baling hay and silage. It is eco-friendly, biodegradable and edible by livestock, with nutritional benefits.
Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust: The Love Rimurimu project, led by the Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust, is restoring declining kelp forests in Wellington Harbour through science, community action, and Indigenous partnership. It also empowers communities with hands on education and opensource knowledge sharing.
Mushroom Material: A fully biodegradable alternative to expanded polystyrene on which the packaging industry relies is Mushroom Material. The innovation lies in mycelium-based pellets, designed to integrate seamlessly with existing moulding equipment, making the switch to a sustainable solution a truly viable option.
Sea Cleaners: Sea Cleaners operates a fleet of purpose-built vessels intercepting plastic pollution at the final point before it disperses beyond recovery, removing millions of litres of waste from waterways each year. Now expanding into the Pacific, it is building an island-led clean-up network that combines on-water recovery, data, and circular recycling to stop plastic pollution at scale.
The Sustainable Business Network encouraged applications for nominations from its Next List—the innovators, entrepreneurs, projects, and organisations who were finalists in its Sustainable Business Awards. Mushroom Material and Critical are successful nominees from these recommendations.
James Griffin, General Manager at Sustainable Business Network, says, “What’s exciting about these nominations is that they show world-class sustainable innovation is already emerging in Aotearoa New Zealand—not as distant ideas, but as practical, scalable solutions solving real problems right now. We’re thrilled to see Critical and Mushroom Material nominated for the world’s most prestigious environmental award. Both were selected because they’re on our Next list, which exists to help elevate the innovators building tomorrow’s economy today.”
Read more about the six nominees on the Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington website.
