Homestar is a voluntary rating tool developed by the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC). It sets a clear framework for building better homes, recognising performance in climate resilience, ecology, community impact, operational efficiency, lower embodied carbon, and improved health and comfort.

More than a checklist, Homestar provides architects, designers, and builders with a structured pathway to achieve measurable outcomes. It also rewards homeowners with an independent rating that demonstrates quality and care well above minimum Building Code compliance.

A Homestar-rated home is designed to be healthier, warmer, drier, and more comfortable, while using less energy and water than a comparable Code-minimum home.

The New Zealand Building Code establishes only the legal minimum standard. Over time, it has often been treated as a design target rather than a baseline. As a result, many homes, even new ones, fall short of international expectations for warmth, ventilation, energy performance, and long-term wellbeing.

A warm, dry home should not be aspirational, it is fundamental. Poor housing quality contributes directly to preventable health issues, including respiratory illness in children. We can, and should, build better.

Homestar certification also unlocks preferential green lending options from major banks including ASB, Westpac, and BNZ, recognising the reduced risk and long-term value of high-performing homes.

We all deserve healthy, comfortable, resilient places to live, homes that support the future of our whānau to live, work, and thrive.

More information on the NZGB website.

Nico is a Homestar Designer and Assessor with the NZGBC.

He integrates Homestar into projects from the early design stages, ensuring the process is efficient, coordinated, and strategically embedded — reducing unnecessary redesign, cost escalation, and time delays.

Nico works collaboratively with architects, architectural designers, builders, and homeowners. Whether your project is targeting a 6 or a 10 Homestar rating, he provides practical guidance, performance insight, and full certification support to help you achieve the level of quality your client expects.

Homestar Design Support
Independent Homestar assessment and coordinated documentation support aligned with the realities of architectural delivery.

Building Performance & Thermal Bridge Analysis
Technical review of envelope details, junctions and construction assemblies.
Assessment of thermal bridging risk and support for improved detailing strategies.

Integrated Design-Stage Sustainability Advice
Early-stage collaboration to optimise orientation, insulation strategy and envelope design.

Performance-Focused Residential Design Support
Targeted sustainability input tailored to New Zealand residential construction methods and climate conditions.

As a Registered Architect, Nico understands:

• How design decisions evolve through documentation
• The coordination between consultants and contractors
• The importance of clear, buildable detailing
• The balance between performance, cost and architectural clarity

Sustainability advice is therefore practical, technically sound, and aligned with how projects are actually delivered.