Skip to content
About us
Get to know the New Zealand Green Building Council
Membership
Meet and join our community
Our network for students and young professionals
News and advocacy
Keep up to date
Green buildings
Getting started
Certify a commercial building project
Certify a community development
Certify a building's operational performance
Operate at Net Zero
Green homes
Certify the design and construction of a new home
Improve your existing home
Training and events
Upcoming events
Professional development
Cart
Find a professional
Login
Search

Search

Popular Content
Architect and biomaterial expert Maria Walker named Future Thinker of the Year for 2023
Future Thinkers Circularity Panel Discussion

Homestar accreditations

Get qualified to deliver Homestar projects and support the industry to deliver better, more sustainable homes

Upcoming courses
Every year thousands of professionals help design and build homes with a focus on better performance and environmental outcomes. We offer several options for those seeking to learn more and get accredited to deliver Homestar certification. 

Whether you're interested in learning about sustainable home design and construction, or want to actively participate in submitting a Homestar project for assessment, we offer a range of accreditations to build your knowledge.

Our courses cover the latest Homestar requirements and sustainable home practices, providing formal accreditations to help you deliver New Zealand's leading sustainable home certification.

Homestar offers three courses: Fundamentals, Designer, and Assessor. As a certified Homestar Professional (Designer or Assessor), you’ll receive a digital certificate and permission to use the Homestar Professional logo in your promotional material.

Homestar Fundamentals

This is a self-paced, online course.

The Homestar Fundamentals course is for people with an interest in healthy, warm homes, and their sustainability. This course is for those who want to play a key role in the sustainability of the built environment and are keen to communicate the benefits of Homestar.

Those who have done the course will have good knowledge of the fundamentals of Homestar and can communicate its benefits to the market, understand how their products or services will help achieve Homestar ratings, and assist in the design and construction of Homestar projects. 

Please note: This course has replaced the Homestar Practitioner course as of 2024. Completion of either the Homestar Practitioner or Homestar Fundamentals course does not result in a formal accreditation. However, it does acknowledge that you meet the pre-requisites for enrolling in the Homestar Designer and Homestar Assessor courses.

The fundamentals course takes approximately 6 hours to complete. 

There are no formal pre-requisites for this course. However, it is recommended that participants have experience in home design and construction, the Healthy Home Standards, and the New Zealand Building Code.

There is no exam element to the Homestar Fundamentals course. 

Register here

Homestar Designer: Residential Energy Modelling 

This course is delivered either live via Zoom over 7 weekly sessions, or in person as two consecutive full-day sessions.

This course equips architects, designers, and builders with the tools to create homes that go beyond compliance - homes that are comfortable, healthy, and resilient.

Using ECCHO (Energy and Carbon Calculator for Homes), you'll learn how to model and assess a home's thermal comfort, energy use, and carbon emissions (including embodied carbon) from the early design stage. This helps you:

  • Reduce design risks by identifying and resolving issues like overheating before construction begins.
  • Improve performance by experimenting with variables such as window placement, insulation, heating, and orientation.
  • Support occupant wellbeing by designing homes that are nurturing, enjoyable, and comfortable to live in.
  • Gain confidence that your design meets both compliance and Homestar certification requirements.

Energy modelling is no longer a specialist tool. ECCHO makes it accessible to all designers and builders. Just like a visual render helps you understand light and space, energy modelling helps you understand how a home will feel and function and helps you provide your clients with the home they expect. 

As part of the course fee, you’ll receive a Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) licence—required to use ECCHO. If you already hold an active PHPP license, you can contact us for a discount on the course fee.

Join us to learn how to design smarter homes that stand well above the minimums of the Building Code . Homes that support health, comfort, and long-term value.

Attendees who are after the official Homestar Designer accreditation must have passed the Homestar Fundamentals course and meet one of the pre-requisites listed below.

This is a technical course that requires an understanding of how homes are designed and built in Aotearoa. Attendees must be able to read and interpret house plans and have a basic understanding of building science. Therefore, one of the following qualifications and/or experience is required to attend

  • Architectural designer, architect
  • Engineer 
  • Building scientist/technologist 
  • Quantity surveyor 
  • Licensed Building Practitioner Level 2 and 3 

If you feel you have equivalent experience, please contact us.

Yes. After the course participants need to pass the online examination within 4 weeks of attending the course to receive their accreditation.

Upcoming courses

Homestar Assessor

This is an online course, delivered live over two half-days. 

A Homestar Assessor is qualified to lead projects through the assessment process for Homestar certification. This accreditation is required for those wishing to submit a Homestar assessment. The Assessor course covers how to conduct a Homestar assessment, including use of the Homestar calculators and scorecard, the requirements for a Design Rating and Built rating, how to collect and present appropriate evidence, and submissions for audit. 

To attend the Homestar Assessor course, participants must have completed the Homestar Fundamentals course and meet one of the following qualifications or experience requirements:

  • Architectural designer or architect
  • Engineer
  • Building scientist or technologist
  • Quantity surveyor
  • Licensed Building Practitioner (Level 2 or 3)

This technical accreditation requires knowledge of home design and construction in Aotearoa, the ability to read and interpret house plans, and a basic understanding of building science. If you believe you have equivalent experience, please contact us.

Yes. After the course participants need to complete an online exam and a supervised assessment where the NZGBC will provide guidance during the audit process to assist with your learning and understanding.

By attending the Homestar Assessor course and completing the exam, you are agreeing to the Homestar Assessor Accreditation Terms.

Upcoming courses

Frequently asked questions

We encourage people to attend this course as an introduction to Homestar. It is particularly useful for those working for a product supplier, a local or national regulatory body, or any other organisation that needs to familiarise themselves with the requirements of Homestar and how they can be met, but who won’t be directly involved in designing, building, or assessing homes. This course is also a prerequisite for both the Designer and Assessor courses.

A Homestar Designer is trained to advise on and design homes that meet the requirements for Homestar certification. A Homestar Assessor, on the other hand, is qualified to submit a Homestar project for official certification.

This depends on your situation. To submit a Homestar v5 project, you’ll need both a Homestar Designer and a Homestar Assessor on your team. For small practices or sole contractors, this means you must have both the Homestar Designer accreditation, which allows you to do the energy modelling of the built home, and the Homestar Assessor accreditation, which enables you to perform additional calculations and submit the assessment.

In larger teams, you have the option to have both an in-house Homestar Designer and an in-house Homestar Assessor working on the same project.

Anyone can complete the Homestar Fundamentals course.

However, the Fundamentals course is the prerequisite to both the Homestar Designer and Homestar Assessor courses.

While the listed qualifications are recommended, if you have relevant experience not listed, please contact education@nzgbc.org.nz

Register your interest

No upcoming courses in your area? Register your interest in Homestar training and we'll let you know when new courses become available

Add me to the waitlist