Waste minimisation initiative recognised at industry awards

The Kāinga Ora waste minimisation programme prioritises house relocation and deconstruction over demolition on our redevelopment sites, wherever possible. To help deliver this programme, the procurement team established a national site clearance contractor panel for Kāinga Ora, which includes house relocation, deconstruction and demolition contractors.

Through the panel, Kāinga Ora also aims to build the capacity and capability of businesses delivering sustainable site clearance services, which they can then offer to the wider market.

Director – Procurement and Supplier Management, Andrea Morton, says the award highlights the organisation’s commitment to facilitate community outcomes through its procurement processes.

“When engaging with suppliers, we seek to incorporate social and sustainable outcomes into procurement opportunities where possible,” says Andrea.

“The national site clearance panel is a great example of how we are working with the market to drive innovation and sustainability initiatives that will have a long-lasting impact on the New Zealand environment.

“We are proud to partner with the industry to prioritise social and environmental outcomes over traditional demolition methods, while also working closely with our suppliers to ensure further workforce development and growth opportunities.”

In addition to the overall Supreme Award, Kāinga Ora won the ‘Social or Environmental Impact of the Year’ category.

EcoMatters Tāmaki Makaurau Zero Waste Awards

Waste Minimisation and Site Clearance Manager Rachel Trinder at the 2022 Tāmaki Makaurau Zero Waste Awards

Rachel Trinder, Manager - Kāinga Ora Waste Minimisation and Site Clearance, was also recognised recently with an industry award.

Rachel won the EcoMatters Tāmaki Makaurau Zero Waste Awards ‘Growing the movement – whakakanohi i te kaupapa para kore’ category, which celebrates local heroes raising awareness and inspiring change through zero waste initiatives.

“It’s a true honour and a privilege to have received this award,” Rachel says. “First and foremost, I want to acknowledge our site clearance panellists, because we couldn’t do this work without them.

“It’s so rewarding to be building momentum in our sustainable site clearance practices and seeing our panellists really putting the focus on reuse and recycling of materials. We are thrilled with the progress we’ve made together, and we are committed to continuing on our sustainability journey.”

In financial year 2021, having the national site clearance panel set up meant that Kāinga Ora was able to reuse or recycle 87% of uncontaminated materials from Auckland development sites. This equates to nearly 21,000 tonnes of materials, including about 5,000 tonnes of concrete and about 655 tonnes of timber framing.

Examples of how materials were repurposed included sending items to Tonga to help rebuild houses and community facilities in cyclone prone areas, concrete being crushed and reused in roading, and an iwi group recovering materials for a marae project.

Over the same period, 55 existing public houses were transported from development areas to provide home ownership opportunities to new families. Forty of these houses went to Māori whānau with access to land in Northland and Gisborne.

Leading the change

• Construction and demolition waste makes up about half of all waste sent to landfill in New Zealand.
• Kāinga Ora is focused on reducing the amount of waste generated by our development activities:
  • We have committed to relocating at least 7% of public houses from development areas nationally.
  • Within our deconstruction and demolition programmes, we aim to reuse or recycle 80% of uncontaminated materials by weight in Auckland and Northland development areas, and 60% of uncontaminated materials in all other regions.

Read more about our waste minimisation programme.

Read more about Pa Harakeke – our social and sustainable procurement framework

Banner photo credit: LK Creative