NZ’s Largest Property, Construction & Business Orgs Call On Govt To Improve Buildings Under Emissions Reduction Plan

A letter to Climate Change Minister Simon Watts and Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk is urging the government to commit to energy labels on homes and buildings – similar to those required on domestic appliances, and to commit to MBIE’s Building for Climate Change programme aimed at improving building standards to slash the industry’s emissions.

The letter is signed by 50 industry bodies and companies including BRANZ, CIBSE, Engineering NZ, New Zealand Institute of Architects, Sustainable Business Council, Infrastructure New Zealand, and the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC).

“The second Emissions Reduction Plan is a massive opportunity to help slash the built environment’s 20% contribution to New Zealand’s emissions,” says Andrew Eagles, NZGBC chief executive.

“There’s overwhelming support for transforming the way we design, construct and operate our buildings. Not only can it help Aotearoa meet our climate obligations, but more efficient buildings reduce running costs for Kiwi families and businesses, while also taking pressure off our struggling electricity grid. The sector has invested significantly in preparation for these changes.”

The letter calls out two policies in particular:

• A commitment to implement the Building for Climate Change programme delivering substantially lower operational and embodied carbon emissions by the early 2030s.
• Implementing energy transparency labels on new homes and buildings, and existing commercial buildings from 2026. This will enable the market to see which buildings cost less to run, and incentivise greater efficiency.

“Unlike other sectors, the knowledge and technology already exist to massively reduce our sector’s carbon footprint. We know internationally from the likes of the UK, US, and throughout the EU, that regulatory change is vital for impactful climate action. All we need is some leadership and smart policy from the Government.”

A recent NZGBC report found improving buildings could save New Zealand almost $40 billion and slash emissions equivalent to taking half our country’s petrol cars off the road by 2050.

“Importantly, these policies would be quick to implement, are already supported by the sector, and can have a massive impact straight away. Given we’re at risk of falling far short on our 2030 climate obligations, the Government would be mad not to take them up.”

The signatories to this letter represent the largest and most influential businesses and professional bodies in New Zealand’s building and construction sector, and make a significant contribution to our country’s economy, employing hundreds of thousands of hard-working Kiwis.

“The construction sector is proud of the progress made on decarbonising the sector to date. We are keen to build on this progress and accelerate decarbonising. To move forward we need Government to make some smart steps and to send clear signals of their support of the sector and commitment to decarbonising. Along with the other signatories NZCIC calls for this Government to improve the Building Code and energy labels so there are consistent methodologies to measure and reduce emissions,” says Tommy Honey, Executive Director, NZ Construction Industry Council

The letter is signed by

• ANZ Bank New Zealand
• Argosy Property Limited
• Architectural Designers of New Zealand
• Association of Consulting and Engineering
• BraveGen
• Brewer Davidson Limited
• Building Industry Federation
• Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ)
• Carbon and Energy Professionals New Zealand (CEPNZ)
• CBRE New Zealand Limited
• Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers
• Cheops Holdings
• Colliers
• Concrete NZ
• Construction Industry Council
• Designers Institute of New Zealand
• Downer
• Eagle Lighting
• Engineering NZ
• Facilities Managers Association of New Zealand
• Green Gorilla
• Hawkins
• HERA
• Inzide Commercial Limited
• Infrastructure New Zealand
• Jasmax
• JLL
• Kwanto Limited
• LT McGuinness Limited
• McKee-Fehl Constructors Limited
• Metals NZ
• Mindful Money
• New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC)
• NZ Institute of Building
• Passive House Institute of New Zealand
• Profile Group
• Pure Advantage
• RDT Pacific Limited
• Rubix Limited
• Sustainable Business Council
• Sustainable Business Network (SBN)
• Sustainable Steel Council
• Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington
• Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects
• thinkstep-anz
• Tonkin + Taylor
• University of Auckland
• Warren and Mahoney Architects Limited
• Waste Management New Zealand Limited
• Window and Glass Association of New Zealand

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