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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
Ultra-Low VOC paints by volume DABv1 October 2019 29 - Innovation Improving on Green Star Benchmarks
Approved Ruling:

Ultra-Low VOC paints can be calculated by volume rather than cost.
For the Innovation - Improving on Green Star Benchmarks credit criterion in Green Star - Interiors v1.2, where it states:

  • Credit Criterion Benchmark Indoor Pollutants Ultra-Low VOC paints


One (1) additional point may be awarded where over 50% of paints (by cost) specified in the building have a maximum TVOC content of 5g/L. This must be verified by one of the approved paint test methods. Theoretical TVOC calculations are not acceptable for this Innovation claim.

The following can be used instead:

  • Credit Criterion Benchmark Indoor Pollutants Ultra-Low VOC paints


One (1) additional point may be awarded where over 50% of paints (by volume) specified in the building have a maximum TVOC content of 5g/L. This must be verified by one of the approved paint test methods.