Campaign for a sustainable legacy in Christchurch

Friday, 28 June, 2013

‘Legacy’ is an industry campaign launched recently in Christchurch, supported by several of the city’s organisations and local developers.

Developed by the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) and Christchurch City Council with support from Property Council of New Zealand (PCNZ) and the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce (CECC), the campaign has attracted those companies seeking to build a sustainable future for Christchurch. These include:

By supporting the campaign they have undertaken to design, develop and occupy healthy, efficient and sustainable buildings, encouraging others to follow suit and creating a lasting legacy for the region.

“Legacy is a chance for businesses to showcase their green building commitments and achievements,” said Tony Sewell, CE of Ngāi Tahu Property and Chair of PCNZ. “It’s an opportunity to say ‘we want to build a Christchurch that works for future generations’.”

John Ryder, Christchurch Developer of Knox Plaza, added, “Christchurch is a living city and a brand. By supporting Legacy we want to encourage other developers to adopt a range of sustainability benchmarks that would be to their benefit … as well as to others.”

NZGBC CEO Alex Cutler says industry has the ability to deliver a sustainable city that offers long-term benefits for the whole community.

“The building and construction sector plays the most important role in developing a new Christchurch that retains the flavour of the past but also looks to the future. We’re excited to see so many leading businesses looking to how they can help deliver liveable, efficient and enduring spaces so the rebuilt city is sustainable and prepared for the future,” she said.

“These businesses see the direct benefits to their own organisations as well. Energy-efficient design reduces operating costs; sustainable buildings offer better productivity and higher occupancy, as well as positive brand association. These are tangible returns for business.”

For those businesses that wish to sign up to Legacy and make their buildings more sustainable, the NZGBC offers a suite of tools, including the BASE (Building a Sustainable Environment) green building assessment tool developed specifically for Christchurch. Meanwhile, the City Council’s Target Sustainability offers free advisory services and some government support is also available through the EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority).

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker praised the campaign, saying it will “help capture and promote the long-term benefits of more sustainable buildings”.

“There is an unprecedented opportunity in the rebuild of our city to make the most of latest knowledge and technologies to create a Christchurch fit for the future, one that we can all be proud of,” he said.

“If we can create a city with buildings that are better looking, cheaper to run and that use fewer resources as well as being healthier to live and work in, that will be a worthy Legacy for future generations.”