Just transition processes: From theory to practice

Aotearoa New Zealand needs large-scale and rapid transformations across all sectors to meet sustainability goals. Past experiences have shown that rapid economic transition is possible, but it can become deeply political, producing trade-offs, winners and losers. It can lead to conflict as politically influential and well-resourced incumbents resist change, while those less able to adjust face the brunt of the costs. As Aotearoa shifts toward a low-emissions, climate-resilient, and more sustainable economy, we have opportunities to find processes and pathways that support a just transition with socially progressive outcomes by design. This paper explores how to move just transitions from theory to practice, through a literature review. It starts with a conceptual framework, defining what we mean by transitions, specifically sustainable and just transitions. It then reviews some of the theories that explain how transitions happen and how they are governed. It provides some further insights on governance, asking if transitions can be engineered and planned from above (top-down), or if they must instead emerge organically from below (bottom-up), concluding that a combination of both is needed. Historical examples and recent toolkits offer some insights about how to plan localised just transitions. Finally, a brief compilation of indigenous approaches to sustainability transitions is presented with a recommendation for further extension to reflect the diversity of indigenous views. The paper is useful for policymakers in Aotearoa and beyond, seeking to understand what just transitions are; who and what drives them or blocks them; how to plan, implement and govern them; and how indigenous knowledge can contribute to the process.