Neil Gaught On Purpose: In Conversation is a monthly interview series featuring leaders, thinkers and practitioners at the forefront of purpose-driven business.

Each conversation goes beyond the rhetoric to explore how purpose is being applied in practice, across strategy, governance, culture and performance.

At a time of growing complexity and uncertainty, the series brings together diverse perspectives to examine a simple but increasingly urgent question: What does it take to build a business that creates enduring value for both shareholders and society?

Purpose is often discussed in boardrooms as though it were a strategy, a marketing statement or a communications exercise. Spend an hour with Gavin Findlay, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Food Network, and it quickly becomes clear that he sees it very differently.

After a career spanning the military, sport and the charitable sector, Gavin believes purpose is ultimately about one thing, and that is creating a positive impact on someone else’s life. That simple philosophy has shaped both his leadership and the organisation he has helped build from the ground up.

In this latest interview in the Neil Gaught ON PURPOSE interview series, we discuss leadership, community, commercial reality and why purpose is far easier to write on a wall than it is to embed into an organisation.

 

NG: Purpose has become one of the most widely used words in business. What does it actually mean to you?

GF: For me, purpose is about the positive impact you have on someone else’s life.

Years ago I took a group of New Zealanders to South Africa during the Football World Cup. We delivered hundreds of kilograms of football kit into one of Johannesburg’s poorest communities. Seeing the reaction of those children when they received that equipment was unforgettable.

Around the same time I came across something Sir Michael Jones once said: “It’s much better to give than to receive.” That really resonated with me.

Whenever I know we’ve genuinely made a positive difference to someone else’s life, I come away feeling better myself. That’s what purpose means to me. Everyone should have a purpose, whatever form it takes.

 

NG: The New Zealand Food Network exists to address food insecurity, yet you work closely with businesses. How do you balance social impact with commercial reality?

GF: One of the first conversations I had with our chairman, David Kirk, was about the phrase “not-for-profit.”

I’ve never liked it because every organisation has to generate a surplus. The difference isn’t whether you make money, it’s what you do with it.

We’re a ‘for-profit’ organisation with a clear purpose; a ‘for-profit’ and ‘for-purpose’ organisation if you like. Every surplus we generate goes back into achieving our purpose.

Commercial discipline isn’t the opposite of purpose; it’s exactly what enables purpose to succeed. It’s total nonsense to say that there is a ‘for-purpose’ sector and this is the exclusive domaine of charities. All organisations have to make a profit and almost all of them can be purpose-driven.

 

NG: Many organisations have purpose statements. Far fewer are genuinely driven by them. What’s the difference?

GF: It’s relatively easy to write a purpose statement. It’s much harder to ensure everyone lives it.

Large organisations naturally create silos. Sales have one set of priorities, operations another, finance another. Unless everyone understands the bigger picture, purpose remains words on a wall.

We’ve been fortunate because we’ve built the New Zealand Food Network from scratch. Everything we do comes back to one simple question: Does this help us get food to where it’s needed most?

That doesn’t remove tension or difficult decisions, but it gives everyone a common direction that we are organised around achieving together.

 

NG: Partnerships seem to sit at the heart of everything you do. What have you learned about bringing businesses, charities, government and communities together?

GF: The biggest lesson is that every partnership has to create value for both sides.

Too often charities approach organisations with their hand out. I’ve always taken a different approach. Tell your story honestly, understand what matters to the other organisation, and recognise the value they bring as well.

Some companies genuinely believe in what we do. Others become involved because partnering with us also solves a business problem by reducing food waste and disposal costs. Either way, if the outcome is more food reaching families who need it, that’s a partnership worth building.

 

NG: Many people struggle to understand why organisations like yours are still needed in a developed country.

GF: People often think giving someone food solves the problem. It solves today’s problem. It doesn’t necessarily solve tomorrow’s.

The bigger issue is that we’ve lost something we’ve traditionally relied upon —community.

When I was growing up, neighbours knew each other. If someone lost their job or was struggling, the street often rallied around them. Today many of us don’t even know who lives a few doors away.

At the same time we’ve created a society where housing is dramatically less affordable and more people are living under financial pressure. That’s the reality we’re working in.

Long term we’d love to see more people become food secure rather than continually responding to food insecurity. But until then, organisations like ours have an important role to play.

 

NG: What advice would you give a CEO who genuinely wants to build a purpose-driven organisation?

GF: First, you have to believe in it yourself. If you don’t genuinely believe in your purpose, nobody else will either.

Second, recognise that you can’t do it alone. Great leaders surround themselves with people who are better than they are in different areas.

Finally, don’t confuse purpose with reinvention. Too many leaders arrive believing they have to create a brand-new purpose. More often the real challenge is asking: How can we fulfil our existing purpose better than we’ve ever done before?

 

NG: New Zealand has traditionally seen itself as a country that cares. Do you think that’s still true?

GF: Overall, yes. We’ve certainly lost some of our sense of community, but compared with many parts of the world I still believe New Zealanders care deeply about each other.

The challenge is that the gap between those who have and those who don’t continues to widen. As that gap grows, organisations working to support vulnerable communities become even more important.

 

NG: Finally, if you could leave business leaders with one piece of advice, what would it be?

GF: I’d encourage every leader to ask themselves one simple question: What is enough?

Businesses absolutely need to be profitable. They have to generate returns. But purpose asks what you do with that success.

Could we show a little more empathy? Could we think a little more broadly about the people and communities our organisations affect?

If this conversation encourages even a handful of leaders to ask those questions, then it’s been worthwhile.