Our 2023 Sustainability Report

Those are the words of Cooper and Company's Chief Executive Officer Matthew Cockram in his introduction to this year's Sustainability Report. To read more of his take on how the day-to-day work of sustainability functions at Britomart, click this link.

Each year we set ourselves sustainability targets to report against to keep ourselves accountable and our sustainability efforts moving forwards. Some of them relate to longer-term commitments – like our Toitū Carbonreduce programme and NABERSNZ assessments – and others are one-off projects that help make Britomart a more sustainable place to work, play and spend time. If you'd like to learn more about the methodology behind the NABERSNZ energy efficiency ratings that measure the energy efficiency of Britomart's buildings, read Dave Annable's interview here.

Every year we set ourselves new annual goals that reflect our big-picture sustainability priorities. At the end of the year, we report on our performance against the previous year's targets. Click here to find out how we did on our sustainability goals this year in our 2023 report card.

This year our communications team embarked on two research projects that looked at the future of work and the social and economic sustainability of the central city, and how both work and workplaces might look in the future. You can read about those projects here. In the same vein, Director of Investment and Industry at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Pam Ford, spoke with us about how Auckland stacks up against comparable global cities.

Speaking of economic sustainability, Britomart's parent, Cooper and Company, this year invested in a new online tool called GDP Live, which gives real-time data on GDP. We spoke with Massey Business School Pro Vice Chancellor Christoph Schumacher about how real-time data like this can assist businesses in managing their economic sustainability.

People are more likely to live sustainably if they feel connected to each other and to place. Our social sustainability initiatives include a regular programme of events in Takutai Square and throughout the precinct, designed to build connection with Britomart, its history and that of the city around it. We've gathered this year's social sustainability projects together at this link, including our annual Matariki celebrations, exhibitions of art from local artists, our regular cocktail hour, and the wonderful new art commissions in the Hayman Kronfeld Building.

Sustainability is a collective endeavour, and sustainable practice improves with the sharing of information. This section of our report features interviews with members of the Britomart community discussing sustainable initiatives that matter to them, like our work experience programme for students.

We also spoke with a range of industry-leaders putting their goals into action, including the Founder of dairy company Southern Pastures, Westpac's Head of Agribusiness and Auckland Climate Festival's Founder.

This year, we reached the final heritage restoration project at Britomart – the small but mighty Kiwi Tavern Building, which has been refurbished to target a 5 Green Star rating. For details of the history of this building, read our piece on the refurbishment here.

In other green building news, when the New Zealand team of global sustainable development consultancy Arup decided to create new offices in Britomart's 5 Green Star refurbishment of the heritage Hayman Kronfeld Building, they also decided their interiors should aim to complete the Living Building Challenge, a rigorous global sustainability tool. To learn more about what this meant for the team and their project, read our interview with Richard Stokes and Laura Cowie.