In response to a growing demand from ordinary people and investment institutions (such as churches) a group of New Zealanders formed the Council for Socially Responsible Investment.

The Council is non denominational (though formed from a group of concerned churches) and includes anyone with religious, moral or philosophical concerns about socially responsible investment.

The Council is a charitable trust which:

• promotes ethical, sustainable investment
• helps people and organisations to develop guidelines, investments and methods for socially responsible investment
• researches, educates, promotes and advocates

The Trust is not concerned with changing the behaviour of corporations, corporate organisations, or institutions directly. Rather, it seeks to establish benchmarks and guidelines by which investors and investing organisations can ensure their funds reach destinations where there is (already) ethical and sustainable corporate behaviour.

Our stakeholders, therefore, are not corporate organisations themselves, but those who may invest in them. This, of course, in turn drives corporate behaviour.

The Board

Some of New Zealand's pre-eminent moral thinkers are involved in the Trust's Board:

• Dr Robert Howell (Quaker, management consultant, and company director)
• Rod Oram (leading business journalist)
• Lyn Mayes (sustainability consultant)
• Dr Wayne Cartwright (retired Professor of Strategic Planning)
• Wendy Reid (Executive Director: SANZ)
• Stuart Auld (financial consultant)
• Ray Skinner (Sustainability advocate)
• Dorothy Wilson     
• Joanne Tunna (Sustainability advisor)
• Eva Lawrence (Political advisor)

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Our Goals

The Council for Socially Responsible Investment aims to:

• create a climate of leadership for socially responsible investment in New Zealand by institutions, churches and individuals
• establish a solid core of organisations and individuals who will robustly seek, define and enact socially responsible investment
• influence Government on considering socially responsible investment, and acting to invest important funds in a sustainable way
• influence and guide religious organisations to consider socially responsible investment and to act to invest important funds in a sustainable way
• ultimately, create a new market for investors and investment in New Zealand in which socially responsible investment is assured

"One of the first things we do when we run a campaign is make sure that the ICCR is on board,' says Tracey Rembert of the Shareholder Action Network, which advocates ethical investing and shareholder action".
As quoted in "Invoking the Spirit: Religion and Spirituality in the Quest for a Sustainable World", by Gary Gardner, Worldwatch paper 164. Published December 2002.

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