BNZ celebrates New Zealand first with 6 Green Stars

21 July 2011

BNZ has sealed its reputation as an employer dedicated to providing healthy and appealing workplaces for its employees by receiving New Zealand’s first 6 Green Star Office Interiors 2009 rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) for the fit-out of BNZ Harbour Quays in Wellington.

BNZ Harbour Quays joins a growing portfolio of BNZ workplaces that are Green Star certified – with its offices at the Deloitte Centre (80 Queen Street) and Quay Park in Auckland already boasting 5 Green Star Office Interiors 2009 ratings.

“We congratulate BNZ for raising the bar for office interior fitouts in New Zealand,” says NZGBC Chief Executive Alex Cutler.

“6 Green Stars represents world leadership in environmentally sustainable design, and we challenge other New Zealand businesses to follow BNZ’s lead by investing in workplaces that are not only good for their employees but good for the environment too.

“With staff costs significantly outweighing all other costs during the lifetime of a building, investing in healthier, productivity-enhancing workplaces makes sound financial sense.”

BNZ COO Stephen Mockett sees the value in being committed to investing in workplaces that are not only great to work in, but that employees can also be proud of.

“Following our involvement in the Office Interiors Pilot project in 2009 at our Quay Park premises, we’re delighted to be setting the benchmark. Now with this New Zealand-first rating with Harbour Quays we continue to strengthen our commitment to organisational sustainability.”

Together with its project design team, including Jasmax architects and engineering firm Beca, BNZ has achieved certified Green Star Office Interiors ratings for three of its office fitouts over an 18-month period, representing half of the projects currently certified under the Office Interiors rating tool.

The Office Interiors 2009 rating tool was developed by NZGBC with industry to assess the environmental attributes of new office fit-outs in New Zealand and encourage the development of workplaces that are healthy, efficient and environmentally sustainable.

There is a growing body of research that demonstrates employee satisfaction, wellbeing and productivity levels are higher in sustainable buildings than conventional buildings.

ENDS

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