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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 access the online Technical Question form here

Technical Question Title Tool Version Date Released Credit Name Sub-credit Name TC Link
Waste diversion without a CVS-certified contractor Green Star Buildings NZ, DABv1, DABv1.1 March 2026 2 - Responsible Construction, 22 - Construction and Demolition Waste
Approved Ruling:
Projects may divert up to 10% of their total waste from landfill without engaging a certified waste contractor with a Compliance Verification Summary (CVS). This allowance is intended to encourage local, higher‑value waste‑hierarchy initiatives - particularly reuse, such as site workers or community groups taking offcuts or unused materials for direct reuse.

To maintain the integrity of the credit, projects must still provide robust evidence for any waste diverted without a CVS-certified contractor. Required documentation includes:
  • Recorded volume or weight for each load
  • Photos of the materials
  • Time‑stamped photos showing the load leaving the site and arriving at its destination
  • Clear identification of who is receiving the material
  • A detailed description of the material and its intended reuse or recycling, with a strong preference for genuine reuse rather than downcycling
The NZGBC and Assessors retain the right to deem material not reused or recycled if the evidence provided is insufficient or unclear.