Care is at the heart of everything we do, and it is that ethos that we adopt when making decisions to ensure long-term sustainable value for our residents, people, communities and shareholders.
In May 2024, Ryman released its first Sustainability Report showcasing key advancements made since the launch of our sustainability strategy in 2022.
“Our teams commitment to sustainability is essential on our journey to build climate-resilient villages that are well placed for generations to come and a business that delivers sustainable value for all our stakeholders into the future.”
– Dean Hamilton, Executive Chair at Ryman
Through detailed interviews with a range of external stakeholders as well as input from internal stakeholders, 25 issues were identified as material for us. They are the issues that are key for us to address to ensure we are moving towards a successful sustainable future.
These have been grouped into the following three pillars:
We have been measuring our greenhouse gas emissions for several years, refining our approach and reporting our progress publicly. In 2023 we will join an elite group of global companies and be one of only three healthcare providers in Oceania to register with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) and establish a verified near-term science-based target. By the end of this first year we will deliver a detailed emissions reduction plan, including milestones to achieve our science-based emissions target.
We understand the criticality of our continuum of care model to our success, and its value to current and future residents. Quality care sits firmly as a material issue. Our goal is to be the exemplars of quality in the aged-care industry; delivering care that is tailored to our residents’ health needs, preferences and rights, and innovating for the future. With the impending tsunami of age-related dementia threatening to overwhelm health systems, sustainable dementia communities will become an increasingly important offering within our model. This coming year we will invest in research and pilot leading dementia design, moving beyond dementia care centres to create dementia-friendly communities.
As a leader in our sector, we have chosen to prioritise our deliberate engagement with indigenous communities in both Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Our goal is to cultivate meaningful relationships with Ngā iwi Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand and First Nations People in Australia to empower an indigenous perspective across our business model and into all of our services. We are excited to already have our Taha Māori Kaitiaki – Cultural Navigator appointed in Aotearoa New Zealand to help guide us. In Australia, we will focus on developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals remain a critical blueprint for aligning sustainability efforts globally. They help ensure we are addressing the major environmental, social, and economic challenges our world faces.
Ryman’s material issues – Our Places, Our People, Our Purpose – have been mapped to the Sustainable Development Goals. This alignment will help us to better engage with residents, prospective residents, team members, and other stakeholders as we share our progress towards positive and impactful outcomes.
In taking an integrated team approach, Ryman has already developed a range of sustainability-focussed initiatives and measures to cut back on our environmental impact. These include reducing our energy consumption and landfill waste, improved water management, transitioning our company vehicles to hybrid alternatives, and disposing of surplus items in a sustainable manner.
Our residents are keen to help in any way they can. We have resident teams doing their bit, such as producing rodent and possum traps for the Department of Conservation which help in the campaign to make New Zealand predator-free. Our residents want to make sure we operate in a way that will leave the earth in good shape for their grandchildren and the generations to follow.
Ryman’s business partners are also an important factor in everything we do, and we are regularly talking to them about the measures they can take to help us become more sustainable.
We are committed to establishing a governance framework that drives delivery of our sustainability strategy. To ensure accountability to all stakeholders, we will establish regular reporting, and invest in the necessary systems and processes to enable that to occur.
Phone: 0800 588 222
Christchurch office: 03 366 4069
PO Box 771, Christchurch 8140
New Zealand