Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre (Te Pae CCC) has progressed in its sustainability journey, having drafted an agreement with Toitū Envirocare that commits the Centre to reducing its environmental footprint.
The goal of the agreement is to work towards a Toitū net carbon zero certification as the Centre furthers its commitment to its environmental obligations.
Toitū Envirocare is a long-standing partner of Te Pae Christchurch, and the Toitū carbon programmes are certified under the ISO 14064 standard (organisation) and the ISO 14067 standard (product) by the Joint Accreditation System for Australia and New Zealand( JAS-ANZ). This means that they are internationally recognised.
Te Pae CCC general manager Ross Steele said that committing to net carbon zero operations indicates the Centre’s desire to 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.”
Steele added that, in the Centre’s inaugural year, 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.”
Following this, Te Pae CCC will turn its attention to achieving net carbon operations by the following financial year’s end. From there the Centre aims to work with clients and suppliers to minimise the impact of events – supported by Ōtautahi Christchurch.
ChristchurchNZ head of business events, Megan Crum, commented that the destination’s guiding principle is ‘Small Footprint – Big Impression’. As the region’s economic development agency, one of its objectives for the year is to deliver a comprehensive Business Events Sustainability Framework for Christchurch.
According to Christchurch NZ, the framework will focus on its target of halving the city’s emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2045.
