Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre has taken the next step in its sustainability journey, drafting an agreement with Toitū Envirocare as the Centre commits to reducing its environmental footprint.

The agreement is to join and work towards to being a certified Toitū net carbonzero organisation. This commitment underscores the seriousness with which the Centre is approaching its environmental obligations.

Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre General Manager Ross Steele says committing to net CarbonZero operations is a clear indication of the Centre’s desire to lead by example and create meaningful change.

“For us, sustainability and sustainable operations go beyond just measuring waste and offsetting carbon emissions. It’s about legacy – what we leave behind for future generations, and how we instil values that will ensure we are not only environmentally sensitive but leading the way in this area for years to come.”

Mr Steele says with the Centre yet to complete its first year of operations, the focus is currently on the benchmarking phase. “It’s essential to get an accurate benchmark of operations to not just know where we are at, but where we need to head in the future.

“From here, we will turn our attention to achieving net carbonzero operations by the end of the next financial year,” Mr Steele says.

“The goal will then be to bring clients and suppliers along on the journey and look at ways to work with them to minimise the impact of the events we host – something we are well supported in with Ōtautahi Christchurch’s own commitment to reaching net zero emissions.”

ChristchurchNZ Head of Business Events, Megan Crum says the destination’s guiding principle is ‘Small Footprint – Big Impression’.

As the region’s economic development agency, ChristchurchNZ has a big part to play in helping to foster and promote sustainability initiatives. “Among the many actions underway for the business events space this year will be delivering a comprehensive Business Events Sustainability Framework for Christchurch, doing our bit to help achieve the target to halve the city’s emissions by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2045,” she says.

When looking at partners to assist the Centre in its journey to carbonzero, Toitū Envirocare was the obvious choice, Mr Steele says.

Not only a long-standing Te Pae Christchurch partner, the Toitū carbon programmes are also the only ones in New Zealand certified under the ISO 14064 standard (organisation) and ISO 14067 standard (product) by the JAS-ANZ (Joint Accreditation System for Australia and New Zealand), meaning they are internationally recognised.

“Toitū has been an invaluable part of our journey to date. The guidance and support they have provided us since 2020 in their capacity as New Zealand’s strongest environmental programme has set us up well to take this next step.

“The fact their programmes take a science-based approach also gives us the confidence to aim high and set big goals in this area.”