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 Green Star Technical Clarification Rulings

Technical Clarifications for Green Star represent our answers to Technical Questions submitted by projects, and provide further guidance and reference to others. The list is regularly updated.

There are two types of Technical Clarifications listed in the table below:

General Clarifications

These are extensions to the guidance provided in the Submission Guidelines. They clarify and sometimes supersede the original Credit Criteria or 
Compliance Requirements. General Clarifications set precedent for future project teams to follow. Should a project team wish to apply a general clarification to its project, there is no requirement for further Technical Questions to be submitted. NZGBC Assessors will also use them as precedents to assess submissions.

Project Specific Clarifications

These are published as references for other projects but, unlike General Clarifications, they do not set precedent. They often relate to special 
situations where multiple prerequisites exist for a particular project and are less likely to reoccur to another project. Therefore, rulings set for Project Specific Clarifications are often conditional and will likely vary for other projects. Each project still needs to submit its own Technical Questions and provides evidence relating to its own building in order to have a similar ruling approved for that specific building. 

Should you wish to apply any Technical Clarification for legacy rating tools to your projects, please submit a Technical Question to the NZGBC to 
explain why and how it applies. You can download the Technical Question form here

Clarification Type Tool Version Month Released Credit Name Sub-credit Name Tool Category Amendment/Approved Ruling
General DABv1 1/6/2022 14 - Thermal Comfort Thermal Comfort

Accredited Energy Modellers can use a producer statement instead of a full energy modelling report to demonstrate compliance for credit 14 Thermal Comfort,15 Greenhouse Gas Emissions and 16 Peak Electricity Demand Reduction. Note that the associated submission templates and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator will still need to be submitted.

General DABv1 1/10/2019 21 - Sustainable Products Sustainable Products

Costs entered into the Sustainable Products Calculator can either include or exclude labour and transport. However, this must be consistent for all costs entered. As such, all individual product costs, and the project’s PCV, will either include or exclude labour and transport costs.Where project teams are provided with some costs that include labour and transport, and some that exclude it, it is acceptable to choose one approach (i.e. include or exclude these costs) and then adjust the non-conforming figures accordingly.As an example, the product costs available to a project team for loose furniture and floor coverings excludes labour and transport, but all other product costs include it. In this case, the project team could make educated estimates for the labour and transport costs associated with the installation of loose furniture and floor coverings and add these costs to the original values provided. If this kind of adjustment is performed, please describe the methodology and justification for these calculations in the credit’s Submission Template.

General DABv1, DABv1.1 1/3/2024 12 - Visual Comfort Glare reduction
General DABv1 1/11/2020 11 - Lighting Comfort Localised Lighting Control

The requirements of 11.4 may be achieved in the office spaces by providing a mixture of general non-dimmable ceiling lighting and local dimmable task lighting provided the task lighting is installed either as part of the base build or as part of an integrated fit-out.  The local dimmable lighting must also be able to be turned on or off as per the requirements of the 11.4 in the Submission Guidelines.  Where 11.2 is also being targeted then the requirements of 11.2 must be achieved alongside the recommendations for general and local lighting set out in AS1680.2.2-2008 Appendix E with the general lighting on and the local task lighting at its maximum illuminance. Note this applies to office spaces only

General DABv1, DABv1.1 1/10/2022 17 - Sustainable Transport Low Emission Vehicle Infrastructure
General DABv1 1/10/2019 13 - Indoor Pollutants Paints, Adhesives, Sealants and Carpets

The percentage of compliant products is calculated by volume (paints, adhesives and sealants) and area (carpets), not its cost.For example, at least 95% of all internally applied paints, adhesives, sealants (by volume) or carpets (by area) meet the total specified VOC limits. Note: Projects do not need to provide any cost related evidence.

General DABv1, DABv1.1 1/9/2024 21 - Sustainable Products Sustainable Products – Concrete
Project Specific DABv1.1 1/11/2020 0 - General
The NZGBC conditionally grants that the project can submit a model lease clause (unleased spaces) or signed lease agreement (leased spaces) and not provide a Tenancy Fitout Guide, however, as per the Design & As Built Fitout Scope Guidance, the document must provide a project-specific response and outline to the tenant how the base building has been designed to deliver necessary base building characteristics and functions to meet the intent of the credit, in compliance with Appendix A: Credit Criteria Guidance. The proposal to consider credit 10.1 as a Type C credit is granted. The project will deliver fan coil units beyond the riser however without ceilings installed, therefore compliance will be conditional on tenants installing finishes as required in the lease agreement.
General DABv1 1/12/2020 19 - Life Cycle Assessment/Impacts Life Cycle Impacts
Project Specific DABv1, DABv1.1 1/2/2023 24 - Sustainable Sites Conditional Requirement: Ecological Protection and Highly Productive Land

Note that if the project land has been planned for high density development by central or local governments, the project is still considered to be compliant with the conditional requirement as the project itself is not changing, transforming, or converting its land-use and primary production purposed.