By Andrew Eagles, CEO NZ Green Building Council
There’s no doubt the past year has been a tough one for the building and construction sector – but the industry’s commitment to helping build healthier, drier and better quality buildings that appeal to buyers, investors and tenants, has continued despite challenging economic times.
That’s because it’s good for New Zealanders and it’s good for the economy, and we’re also seeing other market drivers such as financial incentives coming into play.
It’s been a busy year at the Green Building Council, with the Government recently announcing an expansion to the fast-track consent pathway, to include sustainable buildings, which will be defined in the Building Act.
This is a great step forward — I want to make sure this leads to the best possible outcomes for Kiwi homes, communities, and our climate. We will be working hard in 2026 to ensure this definition is endorsed with solid, independent certification.
It’s about more than designing and building comfortable and efficient homes. Banks are also getting involved with lower interest mortgages and developer finance, now available from most of the major banks. But you have to ask and know what you’re asking for!
Research released earlier this year revealed how building better could save New Zealanders tens of thousands in energy bills and mortgage costs. Leading economics consultancy Infometrics found that with a Healthy Home Loan through ANZ, homes built to a 6 Homestar standard can save New Zealand homeowners over $62,000 in electricity and mortgage interest over 30 years — the equivalent of helping them become mortgage-free two years earlier.
As we’ve travelled up and down the country, we’re hearing overheating is fast becoming one of the biggest issues in new homes. At our Housing Summit last May, Minister Chris Penk said New Zealanders are being “cooked alive” in their homes. As summer approaches, the voices are becoming louder as homeowners and tenants are beyond uncomfortable in their terraced homes and apartments.
When it comes to designing better, we’re delighted to see the move away from the older “schedule method” to more modern calculation and modelling methods.
This is driven in part by the announcement by Minister Penk in July of a common-sense approach to insulation. We’re actively working with industry partners to build awareness and understanding of the need and benefits for change through our Residential Energy Modelling training programme.
Embracing modelling-based design is a critical step toward future-proofing our housing stock and improving the liveability of our homes.
In 2026, we’ll be travelling across New Zealand, offering training workshops to share more on how the industry can benefit by incorporating energy modelling into their designs. I’d encourage you to contact us and come along to one of these sessions.
Shout out to New Zealand Certified Builders, which unveiled two new sets of pre-approved plans for Homestar- Ready homes, offering Kiwi families a faster, healthier, and more affordable pathway to quality housing. They are designed and tailored to meet the needs of modern New Zealand households, with a clear road to consent that can have families ready to build in as little as eight weeks.
It’s a great example of what can be achieved when industry comes together with a clear focus on quality and sustainability.
In 2026, we’ll be celebrating our 20th birthday – celebrating two decades of better building by the sector. From humble beginnings, the industry has achieved a lot in this time, and we’re grateful to those who have supported us along the way.
Like you, I’m hoping for improved economic times for the sector in 2026. I’m also looking forward to working closely with the building and construction industry to continue this work of creating modern, efficient, healthy and sustainable buildings.
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