Kaitlin Dawson

Kaitlin Dawson is the Executive Director of NZ Food Waste Champions 12.3, a charity that has a vision of Aotearoa where food is valued and not wasted. Kaitlin has entrenched herself in waste minimisation for the past decade and is passionate about changing the system from the ground up.

New Zealand’s Champions of 12.3 is a coalition of leaders from across the food supply chain, accelerating progress towards achieving SDG Target 12.3 in New Zealand and halving food waste by 2030.  Their flagship initiative is Kai Commitment, which launched with former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and six of New Zealand's leading food businesses in November 2022. The programme is a voluntary agreement which supports businesses to reduce food waste and emissions from across the supply chain.

Prior to joining NZ Food Waste Champions 12.3, Kaitlin co-directed the Melbourne social enterprise, Reground: a waste education service redistributing coffee grounds and soft plastics locally and consulting businesses, residents and government on waste behaviour change. Kaitlin is passionate about system change, she prefers to advocate and influence with action.

Kaitlin’s heart is happy when she’s connecting community initiatives with business and government to create collaborative, sustainable change. Her life’s dedication to mitigating climate change comes from her love of the land, starting from her grandfather growing up as a farmer in the Northern Territory, progressing to her connection to nature's regenerative and healing properties, and her desire for her son and his generation to experience it in the same way.

When she isn’t tackling waste you’ll find her exploring the hills with her young family around her home in Ōtautahi, Christchurch, getting out in her tent or learning to surf.