The New Zealand Government has introduced a Building for Climate Change programme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for buildings and the construction sector and strengthen its resilience to climate change.

The Building for Climate Change program introduces two frameworks that set a series of targets (complemented by supporting initiatives) for new buildings, with a plan for tightening the targets over time:

• Transforming operational efficiency: this framework will set upper limits for new buildings to obtain a consent under the Building Act 2004. The framework will set levels of efficiency for energy use and water use. It will also set defined comfort levels including temperature ranges and air quality that will need to be achieved for consent.
• Reducing whole of life embodied carbon: This framework will set mandatory reporting requirements as well as targets that will need to be kept under to gain consent. It will consider the allowed level of greenhouse gas emissions from materials used in construction, the construction process, disposing of construction waste and disposal of the building at the end of its life.

The NZ Government will spend the next year engaging and consulting with the building and construction sector. From 2021, a group of initiatives will be launched under the program.

More information here