Andrew.Stewart News from Sustainable September
In recognition of our most recent award, a big "Thanks" to all our staff, clients, colleagues, family and friends who have contributed to towards making us the sustainable business we are today! With the new council and local government elections looming, and reflecting on a visit from a British climate guru, in this news letter we take a closer look at the concept of Sustainable Cities, and whether the Mayor and the new Auckland Council will have the vision to lead Auckland towards becoming a world class sustainable city. Alice and Aaron |
Andrew.Stewart triumphs at Sustainable Business Network Awards
“Really gets sustainability at a strategic level” was included in
the Judges’ comments, who were also impressed by our “differentiation through innovation” and “desire to be a role model for
sustainable business”. The assessment for the awards looks at your entire business, from strategy and policies to operations and
performance monitoring. On the practical side measuring the weight of our waste output earned us an “awesome!”
James Griffin, Regional Manager of the Sustainable Business Network’s Northern office, is delighted with the quality of entries
to the Awards. “The calibre of entrants is extremely high, and it’s heartening to see the dedication to environmentally and socially
responsible activities within these businesses” he says.
We were thrilled to be recognized for these achievements
and will continue to share our knowledge to help other businesses achieve. Read more on how businesses can benefit here.
We will be off to weigh ourselves against our Southern Friends in the National Awards in November. Contact Alice if you would like to know more. |
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Auckland Council Update
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The new Auckland Council is taking shape with managers and key people slotting into position and preparing to take up the reins on 1
November.
Along with other with other members from New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable, we recently met
the new managers from the planning team, to hear about how they are gearing up to deliver the region’s Spatial Plan and Economic Development
Plan in a very short timeframe. The Spatial Plan will be a first of its kind, integrating planning for infrastructure, parks, conservation areas,
heritage and social services as well as housing and commercial development. It will also seek to unlock the key to economic growth across the Region,
which will have significant impact for the rest of New Zealand.
Chief Planning Officer, Dr Roger Blakely who
leads the team took up his new position this month. It was made clear in his presentation that the new Mayor will play a very important role in
setting the vision for these plans. The Plan will need to be signed off by both the new Council and Cabinet, legislation is clear that the Government
must be consulted.
Our view, is that for Auckland to be a world class city, sustainability must be at the core of
this vision. Clearly, more than ever it is important to make sure you get informed and vote!
Learn more about the new
council here, or contact Aaron. |
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Sustainable Cities
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Siemens Sustainable Cities Report states that “Cities are
the living space for the 21st century and beyond’, are ‘responsible for 75% of the world’s energy use’, and produce more than
80% of all GHG emissions (mostly CO2)”.
According to Siemens international research, redesigning cities could positively influence
up to 70% of humanity’s ecological footprint[1]. So it seems cities themselves will determine whether the shift to sustainability succeeds or
fails. It’s a document worth reading.
In NZ, 87% of us live in cities. This means that the health and well-being of a significant
proportion of our population is reliant on developing our urban environments in an integrated way; one which ensures better connections between homes,
workplace, community facilities, health facilities, and more.
Cleaner cities mean less pollution and better health. Planning and
infrastructure play a vital role in a cleaner future but changing ‘unsustainable’ behaviors is also a key part of the solution, not to be
forgotten. Click here to read the full article
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More penalties for time wasting applications
From Monday 20 September, Auckland City Council implemented a new process for the lodgement of resource consent applications. Applications
rejected due to inadequate information will now be charged for the processing officer’s time to reject them, approx $300 - $350 (deducted from
the deposit paid).
To avoid these sorts of problems (and of course save on paper and ink) it really pays to make sure your
application is of a high standard. We carry out all the necessary checks and balances to ensure our consent applications cover off all the relevant
information requirements and assessments to get it right first off. If you have any queries, the ASL planning team would be happy to talk more. Email
Craig, Bevan or Cushla or call the office on 09 3030311.
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