Southern Highlands - Gundungurra Country builds economic vitality through collaboration

In the Southern Highlands, a participatory workshop revealed the region’s hidden regenerative economy, mapping 20 projects and proving that trust, connection, and collaboration are foundations of climate adaptation. 

‘Being there, I witnessed a group that are already energised and willing to do the work, just looking to build their connections and a platform of commonality so that they can get the job done.’  

-Southern Highlands opportunity mapping participant

In September 2025, the Southern Highlands came together to chart a new path for its local economy. 50 participants - farmers, councillors, 3 levels of government, business owners, funders and community leaders - joined the Highlands Homegrown Economy:  Opportunity Mapping and Collaboration Workshop.

It was the culmination of a year of conversations, forums and trust-building by local conveners led by Regen Labs with local community partners WinZero, Regen Action and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

The challenge

The Southern Highlands was severely impacted in the 2019/20 bushfires. The years following the fires have seen an abundance of local community and business energy for testing new, innovative approaches for building resilience and economic vitality. Local producers are trialling circular food systems, cultural projects are emerging, and community-led renewable initiatives are underway. At the same time, the local council has just launched a new strategy which, due to pressure from the local community and business groups, included a focus on building regenerative and circular economic opportunities for the region. Readiness was high. But as recent research in the business transformation space has identified, vital collaboration between sectors is missing, vital collaboration between sectors was missing.

Enterprises wanted to work together, local chambers of commerce knew that collaboration was missing, but there was no structure or space to make that happen. Many projects remained invisible to council and government staff and funders. Civil society and community organisations were siloed and disconnected from the local business community. Without stronger connections, opportunities to build economic, social and environmental resilience risked being lost. Or as Daniel Aldridge states: “The difference between resilience and disrepair … lies in the depth of communities’ social capital."

The response

The Opportunity Mapping workshop created that space. Carefully designed to balance inclusivity with focus, it brought together a mix of community voices, business leaders and government representatives.

Participants worked through three steps:

• Aspirations mapping – sharing and clustering visions for the region’s future.
• Project mapping – surfacing existing initiatives and adding insights from others.
• Gallery walk – project leaders presented their projects and solutions and gathered support, contacts and offers of collaboration.

By the end of the day, 20 catalytic initiatives had been mapped - from food logistics hubs and textile recycling ventures to renewable energy and land restoration projects. These were not abstract concepts, but real projects ready to be scaled or connected.

The event also created lasting infrastructure: a WhatsApp group for core connectors, an Instagram presence, and early alignment with council grants. Plans are now underway for a digital mapping tool to sustain visibility of the catalytic projects, deepen the connections and attract investment and support for the cluster of projects.

“Highlands Homegrown Economy workshop showed that connection itself is a climate adaptation tool."

-Southern Highlands opportunity mapping participant

Lessons for other regions

• Readiness matters: existing trust, anchor organisations like WinZero  and informal grower networks laid the foundation.
• Framing counts: “Highlands Homegrown Economy” emerged from the organising group in response to the needs and characteristics of the place. It resonated more broadly than “regenerative or circular economy.”
• Shared ownership works: legitimacy grew from a diverse team of councillors, community leaders, government and business.
• Connection is adaptation: building trust and social infrastructure is as critical to climate resilience as physical adaptation.

Looking ahead

The Highlands Homegrown Economy: Opportunity Mapping and Collaboration Workshop showed that when communities, councils and businesses come together, social capital and readiness builds, resulting in potential that can be realised in practical ways. Opportunity Mapping is now being explored as a model that other regions can adopt - a simple but powerful way to turn isolated efforts into a connected system ready for the challenges of a changing climate and economy. 

If you’d like to learn how to host your own Opportunity Mapping workshop, you can access a step-by-step playbook here.

For a deeper dive into why connection and social infrastructure are just as critical to climate resilience as physical adaptation, explore our companion thought-leadership piece here.

“It was a most inspiring and cooperative atmosphere and gives me hope that we can coordinate and support our disparate groups around the shire."

-Southern Highlands opportunity mapping participant