Kia ora koutou
Wow – it has been a great start to 2026, with this month marking our 20th anniversary –
I’ve been very proud to celebrate two decades of great results with those who have
played a pivotal role in driving meaningful change across our built environment.
NZGBC has provided a trusted voice and certifications supporting healthier, more resilient and more efficient buildings across New Zealand.
None of this would have been possible without our members, partners, board directors and industry champions — thank you for your commitment and leadership.
See more about our journey here:
From our beginnings with 31 founding members in 2006, we've grown into a community of more than 700 member organisations and associates — all united by a commitment to healthier, more resilient and lower‑impact buildings and homes for Aotearoa.
Over the past 20 years, NZGBC’s impact includes:
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5.5 million square meters of commercial property covered by green certification.
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16,000 homes certified through Homestar.
What does that all mean? It means that over $50bn worth of buildings and homes being built and certified, delivering lower running costs, improved resilience, reduced climate pollution, and healthier places for people.
It’s been great to see our new 20th anniversary decals going up on buildings around the country– they look really smart, and it's fantastic to see them up across the motu. Please send us your photos or tag us in your socials, as we’d love to celebrate your rating achievements with you.
Read more about the decals programme
Pictured at the recent 20th Anniversary celebration L-R: Claire Falck, BRANZ chief executive, Andrew Eagles and Ali Hamlin CEO Te Matapihi - National Māori Housing Sector Body
We also had our Annual General Meeting this month reflecting on the progress we’ve made together and welcomed new Board appointees who will help guide the next chapter of our work.
Welcome Craig Treloar, Andrew Tu’inukuafe, and Pamela Bell.
We also acknowledged those stepping down, with a big thanks for their commitment and service – Brendon Dwyer, Robyn Phipps, and Jane Holland.
Another big achievement this month was the much-anticipated kick off our Better by Design: Residential Energy Modelling Workshop series, with the first held in Auckland last week selling out.
This hands-on workshop shows builders, designers, and developers how to stay ahead, - using modelling to make faster, better design decisions.
The Tāmaki Makaurau event was a great success, with 48 people attending - we’re really excited about our plans to take it on the road, including Hamilton next month, followed by Wellington in April.
Other courses will be held in place in Queenstown, Christchurch and Tauranga. A big thank you to our sponsors APL Window Solutions, AGP Architectural Glass Products and EECA for helping us take this course across New Zealand.
See the full schedule and register here: Better Buildings by Design: Residential Energy Modelling.
A big development this year is the launch of the new Green Star Buildings NZ material. We’ve created a new suite of marketing collateral outlining the benefits – the first for investors and government.
On a larger scale, we have also been busy talking about a new piece of research we released earlier this month – looking at recent Government plans to import LNG into New Zealand.
I was invited on TVNZ’s Q & A show to describe how these imports would lock Kiwis into higher energy bills for decades when more secure options are ready now.
See the full interview here: LNG or solar? What solves NZ’s energy crisis debated
This LNG plan is moving forward without proper examination of lower cost options like energy efficient hot water systems and solar that can be rolled out at scale for less cost.
Download the LNG research here
As climate variability across Aotearoa increases, building owners and developers are facing new expectations to understand, assess and respond to location-specific environmental risk – particularly for assets designed for more predictable conditions.
We’re hosting an online discussion tomorrow about a new Climate Adaptation Planning template being designed for the property and construction sector.
At this webinar we’ll discuss the pending launch of a new template to guide Climate Adaptation Planning, developed in association with Sam Parsons (Boffa Miskell) and peer reviewed by experts in this field including James Hughes (Tonkin + Taylor).
Find out more and register for the webinar here: PluggedIn Webinar - Climate Adaptation Guide
Thanks to everyone who’s registered for our courses, celebrated their building ratings with decals, come to one of our events or been in touch so far this year.
2026 has started off with a roar, I’m looking forward to a successful year ahead for all our members and friends.
Ngā mihi nui
Andrew Eagles
Pictured: 20th Anniversary event held in Auckland February 12