East Coast Exchange: Reimagining local economies through community-led trade

As a Bright Spot, East Coast Exchange is building regenerative, place-based economic systems that empower local communities.

In the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, communities on the East Coast of Aotearoa are forging a different path forward—one grounded in regenerative economies, digital infrastructure for local autonomy, and Indigenous knowledge. The East Coast Exchange (ECX) emerged from this moment not just as a recovery response but as a radical reimagining of how communities trade, restore land, and reclaim economic agency.

By using digital infrastructure developed by the Toha Network, ECX connects individuals and organisations to funding opportunities for environmental restoration projects, such as native planting and pest control. Contributors earn "action points" for their efforts, which can be exchanged for funding. Every dollar added to funding pools goes directly to those acting, ensuring transparency and accountability in resource allocation. By integrating Māori values of manaakitanga (care) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship), ECX strengthens community bonds and relationships with nature and each other. Partnerships in the ECX ecosystem are a reflection of nature, varied and diverse, from organisations like Te Runanganui o Ngāti Porou, Gisborne District Council, Air New Zealand, Te Puni Kōkiri, to community-led initiatives like the Ngahere Network.

This endeavour is more than just a barter system, it offers an alternative and more equitable model for value exchange and local economic autonomy. ECX is now piloting MAHI, the Toha System’s digital token representing work in service to nature, unlocking new opportunities for financing and funding nature stewardship. Through innovative digital tools and traditional practices, ECX demonstrates how communities can self-organise, trade sustainably, and reclaim economic agency.

"ECX is built on digital public infrastructure (DPI), which is being designed and developed by the Toha Network. This infrastructure involves digital identity, digital payments, tokens and consent-based data sharing. What makes it ‘public’, however, is that it is oriented toward public purposes, such as the shared challenge of sustainable development. Also, DPI is open access: as Toha builds these systems, they will become available for anyone to use, within the rules of the marketplace. For governments, DPI is an opportunity to shift from imposing centralised solutions on communities to enabling community-led, localised approaches. This is vital for effective solutions that reflect local knowledge, and also to restore legitimacy and trust in government institutions."
— Renee Raroa, Establishment Director, East Coast Exchange

How is East Coast Exchange different from more mainstream approaches?

Traditional economic models rely on extraction, profit maximisation, and centralised institutions - perpetuating systemic wealth inequality, environmental degradation, and cultural erosion. ECX flips this model by decentralising exchange and funding—placing economic and decision-making power directly into the hands of local communities.

ECX operates through a localised exchange network where individuals trade skills, goods, and services without dependence on national currency. Its use of digital tools like MAHI tokens ensures transparent tracking of contributions and exchanges while incentivising participation. Additionally, ECX integrates with regional biodiversity initiatives to align economic recovery with ecological restoration. Projects such as pest control and native forest planting are verified through data, photos, and satellite imagery—ensuring accountability and community-empowered participation.

By embedding Te Ao Māori principles into its operations - such as environmental guardianship (kaitiakitanga) and reciprocity (utu) - ECX fosters relational wealth rather than transactional relationships. By designing an alternative economic infrastructure, ECX proves that communities can proactively engage with markets to create regenerative cycles of wealth and well-being grounded in self-determination.

How is East Coast Exchange changing the way local economic systems operate?

The impact of ECX extends far beyond economic transactions, it reclaims Indigenous data sovereignty, strengthens social cohesion, and builds resilience against external shocks, both natural and market driven. By reducing reliance on high-carbon global supply chains through localised trade networks, ECX ensures sustainable exchanges that align with climate goals and repositions communities as stewards of change.

Integrating economic exchanges with biodiversity restoration projects addresses ecological degradation while fostering community guardianship over natural resources. Native planting initiatives restore ecosystems and reduce risks like soil erosion and flooding - a critical need highlighted by Cyclone Gabrielle. ECX affirms traditional knowledge as central to adaptation and fosters intergenerational exchange.

It also offers a fairer alternative to informal economies that often expose workers to hazardous conditions without recognition. Through transparent systems where contributions are valued via action points and MAHI tokens, ECX empowers communities with equitable access to resources. It upholds data sovereignty and unlocks nature-based revenue streams, especially as businesses seek verified environmental impact for compliance.

"ECX is less a challenge, more a gap filler, like a flower that is growing in the cracks left by conventional institutions. Tairāwhiti, the East Coast region of New Zealand, has been neglected for decades. It has also suffered from extractive land use practices, especially intensive agriculture and forestry, which has left its landscape critically exposed to climate-related impacts. A recent government inquiry concluded that: “Right now, the Tairawhiti environment is on the verge of collapse, yet can become a living laboratory, providing evidence and lessons for adapting to a climate-changing world.” That is what ECX is striving to do, to plant seeds both figuratively and literally, to trial the various elements of a nature data economy in the region, and to unlock nature-aligned investment to pay people to ‘recloak the whenua’ (land) with native trees and vegetation."
— Renee Raroa, Establishment Director, East Coast Exchange

What could the future look like if initiatives like East Coast Exchange scales?

Imagine a global commitment to time spent in service to nature. Time is our most valuable resource, especially as we race to address the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable development. Yet this time is often invisible in mainstream economic systems.

By using digital systems to register contributions to restoration, ECX makes visible an economy of care that allows ecosystems and communities to thrive. Built on public digital infrastructure from the Toha Network, ECX can serve as a foundation for other ventures rooted in local cultures and aspirations.

MAHI tokens attract funding with minimal intermediaries, enabling deeper investment into care for nature. TOHA tokens help frontline communities share in the value of verified nature data, which is essential for climate and adaptation financing. As Indigenous economic models gain recognition, they influence regenerative finance globally. A new economy emerges - one based not on extraction but reciprocity, wellbeing, and connection to place.

This isn’t a utopian dream. It’s a grounded shift already underway on Aotearoa’s East Coast, planting seeds for a new global economy rooted in place, reciprocity, and care.

Image courtesy: East Coast Exchange

"We built ECX not as a product but as an invitation - a way for our community to reclaim the ability to trade, restore, and define value on our own terms. It’s about decentralising the economy so it can reflect the things we really care about: land, relationships, and legacy. What’s happening at Te Kautuku is just the beginning."
— Renee Raroa, Establishment Director, East Coast Exchange

Questions to consider

How can we create financial value from nature data without compromising community rights to data, especially data which relates to traditional knowledge, sacred sites and endangered species?

What role does Indigenous knowledge play in shaping sustainable economic models?

How can businesses and policymakers support decentralised, community-driven economies?

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A Forum for the Future initiative, in partnership with The Earthshot Prize, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and Trane Technologies, the Future of Sustainability: Reimagining the Way the World Works is showcasing the social and climate initiatives shaping a better future, today.

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