Gary Shaw
on the inner work required to truly drive sustainability
Gary knows the world’s darkest corners—and he knows that transformation begins within.
A former Police Detective, he spent eight years working undercover across twelve countries, infiltrating criminal networks that trafficked women and children. He has witnessed, firsthand, the depths of human suffering. But he has also seen resilience, hope, and the profound power of change.
After founding and leading a New Zealand anti-trafficking organization, rescuing victims, prosecuting perpetrators, and driving systemic transformation in the Asia-Pacific region, Gary’s path led him into the private sector. For the past seven years, he has empowered leaders, businesses, and investors to meet the enormous social and environmental challenges that define our era—not just with technical solutions, but with a fundamental shift in mindset.
His mission is clear: sustainability cannot be solved with the same mindset that created the crisis in the first place. “We can’t just make the deck chairs on the Titanic greener and more ethically produced—we need to rethink the entire ship.”
Gary’s work is rooted in both action and contemplation. He is New Zealand’s first certified Ambassador for the Inner Development Goals, holds degrees in Psychology, Sociology, and Community and Economic Development, and is a graduate of the Centre for Action and Contemplation. For him, sustainability is not just a strategy; it is a practice of deep personal and collective transformation.
At the heart of his philosophy is a simple but radical idea: true change begins from within. “Do your inner work,” he advises rising change-makers. “The human ego can unwittingly sabotage the loftiest vision, and the human shadow can unconsciously undermine our greatest strengths.”
His personal motto echoes this wisdom: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman.
Gary envisions sustainability as a vast, multi-coloured field of flowers—representing every nation, creed, and race—thriving together in true collaboration. What nurtures it? “The humble voice of our shared humanity and the inherent silence of our shared divinity.”
Yet, there are challenges. For Gary, one of the greatest barriers to meaningful progress is the way sustainability is approached: fragmented, ego-driven, and often disconnected from the deeper, systemic change required. “If sustainability professionals cannot put our own egos aside for the sake of people and planet, what do we have to offer anyone else?” Collaboration, he believes, is the missing piece.
Gary carries the lessons of Indigenous wisdom with him. After spending time on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico, he was struck by the way Navajo weavers intentionally weave mistakes into their sacred garments. “They believe the imperfection—the wound—is a portal through which the Great Spirit can enter. It’s a graceful surrender of the need to be perfect, a puncture of the ego, and a transfiguration of our flaws into something sacred.”
From the darkest corners of the world to the boardrooms shaping the future, Gary’s journey is a testament to what happens when we move beyond surface-level solutions and engage in the profound, sometimes uncomfortable, work of transformation. His message is simple but urgent: Sustainability isn’t just about what we do—it’s about who we become.
Read Gary’s answers for Blooming Sustainability and take his valuable words of wisdom to heart: ““Do your inner work. The human ego can unwittingly sabotage the loftiest vision, and the human shadow can unconsciously undermine our greatest strengths.”
BLOOMING Sustainability Questionnaire
Name: Gary Shaw
Company & Title: Gary Shaw Consultancy
Website & LinkedIn Profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-shaw-0706671b7/
* Guiding Values | Kaupapa
If sustainability were a flower blooming in your life, what would it look like? What nurtures it?
A multi coloured field of flowers representing every nation, creed and race, thriving together in true collaboration. And what nurtures it is the humble voice of our shared humanity and inherent silence of our shared divinity.
A quote, personal motto or whakataukī that reflects your vision:
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman.
If you could mentor a rising change-maker in Aotearoa, what advice would you share?
Do your inner work. The human ego can unwittingly sabotage the loftiest vision, and the human shadow can unconsciously undermine our greatest strengths.
* Leading Change | Arataki
A key moment in your journey that shaped your path:
Rescuing a 5-year-old girl from a brothel in Southeast Asia.
What’s the main challenge you face in driving sustainability within your sector?
The way we are “driving sustainability” is the main problem. Our existing approach to sustainability is deficient and fundamentally flawed. I believe the main challenge is a mindset that believes we can successfully respond to sustainability challenges but not fundamentally address the underlying systemic issues and imperfect human ego that created those challenges in the first place. It is like trying to make the deck chairs on the Titanic greener and more ethically produced, yet failing to address the speed, size and direction of the ship itself. Adaptive challenges and wicked problems cannot be solved by technical solutions.
An area you need more support with:
Greater collaboration within and between those working in the sustainability/ESG space. If sustainability professionals cannot put our own egos aside for the sake of people and planet, what do we have to offer anyone else? If we are doing the work of sustainability with the same mindset and the same energy as those contributing to the sustainability challenges of our day, we transform nothing. As author Audre Lorde famously says, “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”
An Indigenous perspective you admire and want people to be mindful of:
I spent time on a Navajo reservation last year in New Mexico. Navajo weavers intentionally place mistakes and imperfections into their sacred garments as something important and necessary. They believe the imperfection, or the wound is a portal or gateway through which the great spirit can participate. It is a graceful surrender of the incessant need to be perfect, a puncture of our easily inflated egos and a transfiguration of our wonderfully human imperfections as gifts in disguise.
Your best approach for engaging stakeholders in meaningful dialogue about ESG:
Deep listening, humility, asking questions and using invitational language.
What do you think is Aotearoa’s superpower in creating a sustainable future?
We are small enough to change direction and adapt comparatively quickly, irreverent enough to call BS when we see it, self-effacing enough to be willing to collaborate, and courageous enough to trust our own intuition.
* Surfing the Green Wave | Kakariki
Books, podcasts, courses or other resources that profoundly shaped your approach to sustainability:
Courses
Books
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Human Kind, by Rutger Bregman
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Rest is Resistance, by Tricia Hersey
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The Entangled Activist, by Anthea Lawson
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The Essentials of Theory U, by Otto Scharmer
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The Tears of Things, by Richard Rohr
Events in Aotearoa or globally that you think are must-attend:
Inner Development Goals Introduction to Aotearoa at a shared breakfast in Auckland on Wednesday 26 March 2025. Co-hosted by Deloitte and the Sustainable Business Council. https://sbc.org.nz/event/leading-in-a-complex-world-with-jennifer-garvey-berger/
A sustainable initiative or project in Aotearoa that deserves more attention:
The Collaborative Advantage, a peer network to help meaningfully respond to ESG challenges with a collaborative and benefit mindset. Co-hosted by Deloitte, Walk Free and Sustainable Business Council, the cross-industry programme shares insights and resources to help address the social and environmental challenges common to all.
If your work could plant one seed of change for the future, what would it be?
Self-compassion. Ancient wisdom and modern psychology confirm that we love and care for others to the extent that we love and care for ourselves. But we are typically not taught how to accept, protect and nurture ourselves, to welcome ALL of who we are, the darkness and the light, our gifts and our very vulnerable imperfections. Until we can do this for ourselves, we will be unable to truly welcome it in others.
* One actionable takeaway for our readers to make a change today for a brighter tomorrow:
Slow down. Create a mantra. Implement a daily practice. Do whatever you must to slow down. The pace of modern life and the addictive nature of our devices and attachments drives us to skip over the surface of the depths of our own life. Slow down. We have no control over what happens tomorrow. But by slowing down today, we make a brighter tomorrow more likely.