Business View Oceania - Oct 2023

32 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 5, ISSUE 10 that will impact tenants and building owners. “These proposals provide a clear signal that considering climate resilience, and the emissions impact of our buildings is a core responsibility of the sector,” she said at the time. The announcement aligns with the New Zealand government’s Emissions Reduction Plan, as well as our independent Climate Change Commission’s recommendations for government to put in place measures such as mandatory energy performance programmes to embed measurement and benchmarking. “The most sustainable building is one that is already built, so the emphasis must be to get the best possible use out of it, and ensure the systems, procurement, and technology is in place to ensure it performs in a way fit for a low-carbon future.” Following in the footsteps of Australia’s energy benchmarking tool NABERS, the New Zealand government has licensed the tool for use here. NABERSNZ is currently in over 130 offices to measure and benchmark energy performance. Businesses are already taking the initiative and using the likes of NABERSNZ and Green Star Performance to take stock of operational performance and make improvements. Government procurement rules have also helped improve uptake, with government departments required to meet NABERSNZ rating requirements. This procurement guidance has also flowed into new build requirements, with commercial sustainability tool Green Star now compulsory for new government department buildings. “For those building new buildings worth over $9m, we must look at the entire lifecycle of a building, from its inception to intended use – trying to reduce typically high-pollutant activities in the construction process. For example, importing building materials from overseas at a high carbon-footprint cost, using fossil fuels or natural gases instead of clean electricity, promoting occupants to use vehicles instead of public or more sustainable means of transport.”