Towards Sustainable Business


Sustainability is a journey - it is not a destination.
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The principles of sustainable business are the basis of our core values and we strive to continually improve our performance. We openly communicate our focus on sustainability through our mission and values and with this statement of our sustainable business actions.

For more information, there is a good introduction to sustainable business here, and there are great resources produced by the Ministry for the Environment, and the Sustainable Business Network. You can also download a 55 point quick guide to sustainable business that we recommend.
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Environmental Sustainability


As buildings consume large amounts of natural resources and energy, and are significant sources of emissions and waste, we responded by developing our office using sustainable building principles.

​Browse our green building page for further details.
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A model for sustainable business.

We have taken positive steps to reduce our environmental impacts:

  • ​our work sites comply with planning and resource management regulations
  • all our chemical applications are recorded in our chemical register
  • any pesticide and herbicide bottles we use are triple rinsed into the spray tank before disposal
  • any hazardous substance containers we use are correctly disposed of to avoid contamination
  • we continually seek ways to further reduce our environmental impacts

We include environmental sustainability in all our purchasing decisions:

  • we give preference to suppliers who demonstrate sustainability in their own businesses
  • we consider a product's whole lifecycle when purchasing capital equipment, such as our MacIntosh computers
  • all our office paper is produced from FSC certified reclaimed pulp manufactured from 100% recycled, post consumer waste in a chlorine free process
  • our business stationery uses paper manufactured in an elemental chlorine free process using pulp from plantation forests and is printed using vegetable based inks made from renewable sources by a printer with Gold certification in the Enviro-Mark NZ Programme who is FSC certified
  • we buy NZ made products where ever practical
  • we buy fairtrade kitchen supplies
  • we use eco friendly cleaners with biodegradable surfactants and recyclable packaging
  • we even have a recycled shopping bag

To maximise energy efficiency and conservation we:

  • ​have a switch off policy for all electrical equipment
  • have powersave enabled on all our electrical equipment
  • use energy efficient lighting, appliances and water heating
  • monitor our energy consumption
  • use recycled equipment, especially items with high embodied energy, such as steel filing cabinets

To maximise water conservation we:

  • have installed a dual flush toilet suite in our office bathroom
  • have also installed a low flow shower head in our office bathroom
  • use a wash down tub for cleaning field equipment, rather than running a hose
  • monitor our water consumption

To minimise waste we reduce, reuse and recycle by:

  • using duplex printing by default
  • reusing single side printed paper for drafts and note paper
  • using remanufactured printer cartridges to keep plastic and toxic ink residues out of landfills
  • recycling steel, paper, card, aluminium and plastic
  • recycling e-waste such as obsolete computers, printers and cell phones
  • having dedicated recycling bins for paper and other items
  • shredding printouts prior to recycling
  • using hand towels in our bathroom and tea towels in our kitchen which we launder
  • using ceramic crockery in our kitchen to avoid paper cups
  • monitoring our waste production
  • recycling plant bags from planting programmes by making them available to community conservation initiatives

We cannot achieve zero waste as some items, such as empty decontaminated chemical containers, must be sent to landfill.
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Recycling to reduce waste and save energy is central to sustainable business.

To minimise engine emissions we:

  • make all our vehicles available as pool vehicles
  • use appropriately sized vehicles for each trip
  • monitor vehicle mileage so vehicles are serviced on schedule
  • ensure vehicles are electronically tuned on a dynomometer
  • check tyre pressures weekly to minimise fuel consumption
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Social Sustainability

People are important to us:

  • we recognise people work to live rather than live to work
  • we operate a flexible work environment so personnel can meet family and childcare commitments
  • we support personnel development so people can expand their skills
  • when appropriate, personnel can undertake training and study on full pay
  • we happily make our expertise available to deserving community initiatives through reduced or remitted fees

Healthy families and communities are beneficial for everyone:

  • wherever possible we utilise local labour and suppliers to support the communities in which we work
  • our comprehensive health and safety system keeps our staff, contractors, clients and the public safe from harm
  • for safety, all our vehicles are fitted with airbags and ABS
  • should any personnel be injured at work, we will support their rehabilitation so they may return to gainful work at the earliest appropriate time