Reflections on the Green Property Summit 2025: Lessons in Carbon, Energy and Leadership
- LCA link
- Aug 21
- 4 min read
Written by Francisco Carbajal
Attending the Green Property Summit 2025 provided a clear picture of both the opportunities and challenges facing Aotearoa’s built environment as we work towards decarbonisation. The sessions moved between international perspectives, practical industry solutions, and political discussion, but the common threads were carbon, energy, and the urgency of transition.
Jorge Chapa, Chief Impact Officer at the Green Building Council of Australia, outlined how Green Star Buildings has rapidly scaled across Australia. In just a few years more than 730 projects have registered, many designed as fully electric. What was once seen as overly ambitious is now widely accepted, and the finance sector has been a major driver. Investors increasingly require evidence of embodied-carbon limits, electrification, and refrigerant standards, and certification provides that assurance. This shift shows how quickly market expectations can reset when policy and finance align.
From Europe, Diane Lacoste-Chevalier, Head of the Trade Section at the EU Delegation to New Zealand, presented the European Union’s approach. Minimum energy performance standards are now legally binding, renovation rates are being doubled, and all new buildings must be zero-emission by 2030. Embodied-carbon reporting is moving from voluntary to mandatory. The scale and clarity of Europe’s direction demonstrated what is possible when governments, industry, and finance commit together. For New Zealand, it underlined the need to accelerate our pace.
Closer to home, the conversation returned frequently to retrofit and reuse. Liann Lim from DEXUS shared the example of Sydney’s Quay Quarter Tower, where retaining 60% of the original structure avoided more than 12,000 tonnes of embodied carbon while delivering a modern commercial building. Projects like this highlight that demolition and rebuild is not always the most sustainable or cost-effective choice, and that adaptive reuse can deliver both climate and economic value.
Materials were also a focus. Holcim New Zealand described the rollout of its ECOPact low-carbon concrete, which reduces embodied carbon by around 30%, supported by new infrastructure to scale production locally. Alternatives such as wool and harakeke composites were also highlighted, alongside the potential of New Zealand’s volcanic geology to support lower-carbon binders. The products are available, but consistent specification and adoption remain the challenge.
The importance of cultural perspectives was also recognised. Dean Fraser spoke about the word whenua, which refers not only to land but also to placenta, emphasising the life-giving connection we all share. It was a reminder that carbon and energy challenges are not only technical but also cultural, shaping how we view responsibility for the land and resources we rely on.
Finance and policy signals threaded through the day. Joanna Silver from Westpac and Helen Marnie from the Local Government Funding Agency explained how sustainable capital is already flowing, with around a third of NZX-listed debt now linked to sustainability. Councils are issuing green bonds, and international markets are setting increasingly strict disclosure expectations. While much of New Zealand’s approach remains voluntary, the sense was clear that compulsion will come through mandatory ratings, embodied-carbon limits, and stricter codes.
International leadership also featured. Matt Kean, Chair of Australia’s Climate Change Authority and former NSW Treasurer and Minister for Energy and Environment, spoke about the importance of policy certainty and how ambitious decisions in New South Wales unlocked large-scale investment in clean energy and buildings. His message was that setting clear rules and staying the course creates confidence for industry to invest.
The day ended with Dr Megan Woods, former Minister and now Opposition Spokesperson for Energy and Resources. She acknowledged the scale of the challenge in decarbonising the building sector and the political difficulty of pushing through stronger standards. Her remarks reinforced that while industry leadership is critical, regulatory certainty and long-term direction across political cycles are just as important if New Zealand is to make meaningful progress.
The summit closed on a more personal and hopeful note with the Emerging Leader and Future Thinker handover. Having been named the inaugural Emerging Leader by the New Zealand Green Building Council in 2024, it was meaningful to see the next generation recognised on stage. The future of our industry is in capable hands.
I left the summit with two clear impressions. First, New Zealand still has a gap between ambition and action. Voluntary adoption and incremental change will not be enough to reach our climate targets. Second, the pathways forward are already proven. International examples, local product innovation, cultural perspectives, and finance trends all point in the same direction. The question is how quickly we embed these practices as the norm.
The summit reinforced that carbon and energy are not peripheral issues. They are central to the future of the property sector. While progress has been uneven, I left optimistic. The future of our built environment will be low-carbon, circular and regenerative, and the challenge is how quickly we can make that future arrive.
