Alec Tang CRG member and Climate Action in Government Expert

Alec is a Chartered Environmentalist and Fellow of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment, who has focused his career on addressing the breadth of sustainability challenges and opportunities that are increasingly shaping our communities, society and economy. This has included a range of leaderships positions in academia, business and the public sector, alongside an active involvement in professional institutions, industry associations and networking groups. Most recently, Alec’s work has been focussed on the creation of low carbon, resilient and equitable urban environments, initially leading Auckland Council’s Chief Sustainability Office through the development of Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri, Auckland’s Climate Plan (www.climateakl.co.nz), and as Director of Sustainability at Kāinga Ora: Homes and Communities. Alec also currently lectures on sustainable business at Auckland University of Technology and is a Partner within KPMG New Zealand’s IMPACT, sustainability and climate change practice.

"I joined the CRG at its inception with a view to bringing the experiences of building Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri, Auckland’s Climate Plan and driving city-scale climate transformation to the development of Queenstown Lakes District Council’s Climate and Biodiversity Plan. Whilst I am based in Auckland, there are many common synergies and challenges that we face in driving climate action and building resilience in both urban and rural domains. As we turn from the development of the Climate and Biodiversity Plan to its implementation I see the role of the CRG as being a ‘critical friend’ to QLDC and the wider region – bringing our climate and biodiversity expertise to inform key decisions around the region’s budgets, spatial planning and economic development; testing the region’s ambition and direction; ensuring we don’t just tackle surficial symptoms, but seek to address underpinning system issues; and making connections locally and globally to help deliver a more resilient, low carbon and equitable region."