Localised
Localised is the commercial arm of the Zero Waste Network. It’s on a mission to expand the scale and impact of community-led resource recovery enterprises throughout Aotearoa.
Fund: Te Pae ki te Rangi
Transaction Summary
Fund: Te Pae ki te Rangi
Date Invested: April 2022
Instrument: Debt Facility
IRIS+ Category: Waste | Waste Management - Civic
Why We Invested
Tāmaki Makaurau's waste infrastructure was designed to dispose, not recover. Localised is rebuilding that logic from the ground up. Our capital, deployed alongside Kiwibank in a catalytic position in the loan structure, enabled Localised to develop two warehouses for Auckland Council's inorganic collections in Tāmaki and Wairau. What those warehouses have become matters as much as what they are: busy, trusted community hubs where organisations access materials for upcycling and reuse, where creative initiatives take root, and where Auckland's Resource Recovery Network finds two of its most active nodes.
The model extends well beyond those two sites. Localised helps communities establish their own resource recovery infrastructure through Joint Venture (JV) partnerships. Three JVs have launched seven sites across the North Island to date, including the first Māori and Pasifika-led Community Recycling Centre in Onehunga. Community-led recovery means the value stays in the community that generates it, where it is needed most.
The investment thesis was straightforward: catalytic capital in the right place, at the right time, unlocks infrastructure that the market wouldn't otherwise build.
Measuring What Matters
Problem:
Centralised waste systems are overwhelmed and poorly equipped for effective resource recovery. Communities lack local infrastructure and remain reliant on outdated waste models that undermine resilience and circular reuse.
What:
Short-term: waste diverted from landfill through community participation in resource recovery and the creation of local value chains. Long-term: a circular economy model that drives lasting behavioural change within communities.
Who:
Te Taiao and communities near Localised's Auckland and JV sites.
How Much:
Scale: communities reached across Auckland and JV sites.
Depth: increased community awareness and resilience through local value chain development. Duration: sustained improvements in waste management norms through Localised's circular economy model and community partnerships.
Contribution:
Without Localised, materials suitable for reuse would go to landfill. Communities that depend on those materials would be left sourcing from less accessible public-sector alternatives.
Impact Risk:
External risk: Localised's ongoing operations rely on the Auckland Council inorganic collection contract. While renewal risk is assessed as low, it remains the key dependency for continued impact.
Impact Measures:
Volume of waste diverted from landfill for reuse and recycling. Quantitative and qualitative data on how community growth and engagement.
