Sustainability at ChristchurchNZ

People who care

ChristchurchNZ is a team of people who care – about the city we call home, our beautiful country, and the future of our planet. So, we want the way we work to positively impact the natural environment. 

We also know how our environment is managed is incredibly important to our city’s long-term prosperity. As the city's economic development agency, we are deeply invested in this. 

Christchurch’s economic ambition is to become a regenerative economy. Put simply, this is when more carbon is eliminated than produced.

We want to do our part in making this ambition a reality, and it starts with taking action within our own organisation.  

Here is a look into our sustainability journey so far:  

Man on e-scooter commuting to work

Sustainability Squad



In 2023, a group of staff formed the Sustainability Squad – our internal group of climate champions. The group works on sustainable initiatives throughout the year, helping facilitate change within the organisation. Some of their projects have included: 

  • Producing a sustainability policy for the organisation.
  • Finding new sustainable procurement options for the organisation.
  • Hosting a sustainable commuting workshop, helping staff find greener ways to get to and from work.
  • Hosting education and fundraising events.
  • Organising educational staff meeting presentations on sustainability and climate change.
A group planting trees on the Port Hills

Measuring and reporting

In 2018, ChristchurchNZ began recording an annual greenhouse gas inventory. This is a comprehensive analysis of the organisation’s emissions and removals and is done on a voluntary basis.  

From these reports, we measure our progress to keep us on track to lowering our carbon footprint year on year. 

Over the six years we have been reporting, our effort in reducing our emissions is paying off. In 2018-2019, our baseline emissions measured 120 tonnes. Our latest report from 2023-2024 measured our annual emissions at 99 tonnes.

The way we travel

Like many organisations, air travel is ChristchurchNZ’s largest emitter of carbon. While we don’t require staff to fly often, sometimes it’s necessary to attend an event in person, which can mean boarding a flight.  

This is what we do to mitigate these emissions as much as possible:  

  • Ensuring all air travel is essential before committing to attending in person.
  • Senior management is required to approve all flights before booking.
  • A carbon emissions calculator was added to our travel form so management could track the carbon ‘cost’ of each flight.
  • Mandating that staff may only book economy seats, as business class and premium economy incur much higher emissions. 

Moving around the city

In 2018-19, ChristchurchNZ had a fleet of seven petrol vehicles. In 2021 we sold all vehicles and now the organisation operates without any.  

The ChristchurchNZ office is located in the heart of our vibrant centre, making moving around the city easy. The location is handy for walking, biking, or scooting to external meetings nearby, and where a car is needed, we opt for electric car-sharing company Zilch. 
 

Taking care with waste



Working in an office means dealing with waste, so we do what we can to reduce waste and ensure we are sorting and disposing of it properly.  

Our office has easy waste sorting bins — we separate by landfill, paper, recycling, organics, and soft plastic and have recently introduced a lid collection bin! The separation of our recyclables has diverted 10,035kgs of waste from landfill, saving 9.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide. We make sure to regularly update and remind staff of waste sorting requirements to comply with Council regulations.  

The way we procure



How we procure goods and services is an area of ongoing work, always looking for more environmentally and socially sustainable businesses to partner with. Over the years we have made changes to many of the goods we purchase, including:  

  • Switching our office stationery to an eco-friendlier supplier.
  • Changing our hand and dish soap supplier to Will and Able, a social enterprise.
  • Replacing disposable wipes for whiteboards with reusable cloths.