Government Legislation and Policies
A number of Government policies and legislation support sustainable building in New Zealand. All new building work in New Zealand must comply with the New Zealand Building Act (2004), which requires through both its purpose and principles that "buildings are designed, constructed, and able to be used in ways that promote sustainable development". The Building Code prescribes functional requirements for buildings and the performance criteria with which buildings must comply.
The Government's 'Sustainable Development Programme of Action' (SDPOA) requires government agencies to consider implementing the Government's sustainable development policies such as the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy 2001 (NEECS), and the New Zealand Waste Strategy 2002. A number of these same agencies are also signatories to the New Zealand Urban Design Protocol which commits them to consider and use good urban design principles when undertaking a new building project.
Useful resources and information
- The Sustainable Development Programme of Action is available from the Ministry for the Environment website
- The New Zealand Waste Strategy 2002 is available from the Ministry for the Environment website
- The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy 2001 (NEECS) (PDF 244 KB) is available from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority website
- The New Zealand Building Act (2004) and Building Code are available from the Department of Building and Housing website
