Bay of Plenty Business News Year Book 2023

TE WHARE NUI O TUTEATA, SCION’S INNOVATION HUB IS A LEADING EXAMPLE OF A LOW-CARBON BUILDING.
BUILDING A
SUSTAINABLE
FUTURE
BY ANDREW EAGLES
Chief Executive,
New Zealand Green Building Council
WE SPEND
OUR LIVES
ROAMING
from building
to building
– home, the
office, the
supermarket, the dentist, the cinema,
the local shops. The amount of time we
spend indoors is remarkable. What’s
even more remarkable is how these
spaces impact our outdoors.
How we design, build and use our
buildings contributes up to 20% of the
country’s emissions. With the effects of
climate change increasingly apparent,
and the time we have to mitigate
ANDREW EAGLES
global warming ever shrinking, there’s
a growing demand for everyone to do
their part.
We’ve traditionally valued form over
function, function over future. Now
we’re seeing a shift. An industry
waking up to its impact, and a society
increasingly demanding homes and
buildings that not only allow them to
thrive, but the planet to as well.
Savvy businesses are already tapping
into this, attracting employees with
attractive, high-performing offices,
saving money on electricity bills through
efficient systems, and leveraging
sustainability credentials like Green Star
to access green bonds and discounted
finance.
More companies are embedding
sustainability in procurement, asset
management, and day to day operations.
Crucially, they’re getting ahead of the
curve, minimising the risk of stranded
assets, and using their buildings to meet
ESG requirements and prove climate
commitments to investors.
There’s so much we can be doing, and
there’s a raft of pioneers doing the
14 | YEAR BOOK 2023