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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

Technical Question Title Clarification Type Tool Version Month Released Credit Name Sub-credit Name Amendment/Approved Ruling
Formaldehyde testing methods Green Star Buildings NZ, DABv1, DABv1.1 June 2025 13 - Indoor Pollutants, 13 - Exposure to Toxins Indoor Pollutants
Formaldehyde testing methods are updated to include those outlined in updated standards, including:
- AS/NZS 2269:2004, testing procedure AS/NZS 2098.11:2005 (R2016) Methods of test for veneer and plywood - Part 11: Determination of formaldehyde emissions for plywood.
- AS/NZS 4266.1:2017 and AS/NZS 4266.1:2017 Amd 1:2021.