About this programme
In New Zealand, sustainability is one of four purposes of the Building Act 2004, where ?buildings are designed, constructed, and able to be used in ways that promote sustainable development?. This longitudinal study initiated in 2012 examines a range of sustainability-related impacts of and on recently consented housing being added to New Zealand’s building stock. It has been designed to be updated every 4 years, and two studies have already been forthcoming. It provides a snapshot of New Zealand’s housing performance, industry readiness and governance initiatives pertaining to the three aspects of sustainability - environmental, economic and social - all quantified and condensed into one document. Eight core indicators are examined, under the three themes of building performance, market forces and governance to quantitatively measure carbon, water, indoor environment, functional resilience, affordability, consumer demand, industry capacity and government policy pertaining to newly consented houses. This research provides a concise and transparent understanding of key sustainability metrics concerning New Zealand’s new housing stock by analysing and summarising information from a diverse superset of robust resources. The metrics are useful for policy documents, guidelines, strategic decision making and educational information and those with an interest in exceeding the minimum standards required by the New Zealand Building Code. The project supports better data gathering on key aspects of new homes that links in with fundamental challenges we are facing as a nation (such as climate change, energy hardship, cost of first ownership, an ageing demographic etc.) and the limited knowledge on an industry worth approximately $7 billion annually.