Assessing the environmental sustainability performance of New Zealand neighbourhoods

TUA developed a Post Occupancy Evaluation Framework to assess the environmental sustainability performance of New Zealand neighbourhoods.

The Challenge

This project was part of a broader government-funded initiative called National Science Challenge 11 – Building Better Towns and Cities (NSC11). The aim was to create a Post Occupancy Evaluation Framework that followed international best practices and was tailored to the New Zealand context. To test the framework, Hobsonville Point in Auckland was selected as the case study neighbourhood. The framework focused specifically on just the environmental sustainability, rather than all Four Pillars of Sustainability (environmental, cultural, social, and economic).

The Solution

TUA was brought in to peer review the initial literature review and early development of the framework’s matrix. The team then refined this matrix in collaboration with Dr Paola Boarin, resulting in the final environmental sustainability assessment matrix. TUA also advised on data collection methods and analysis processes. TUA supported in the data gathering phase, helping to produce the final report and will continue contributing to future publications.

The Journey

The project started with a comprehensive review of global research on Post-Occupancy Evaluation at the neighbourhood level. TUA examined widely used sustainability assessment tools and certification schemes to identify four key ones that could inform the development of a New Zealand-specific framework.

An analysis framework was created and peer reviewed to establish relevant assessment categories, evaluate how these were addressed across the four international tools, and determine their suitability for New Zealand. This framework included defining core assessment questions and the type of data needed from Hobsonville Point—both at the neighbourhood scale and the individual block level. A structured process for analysing this data was then developed, enabling the research team to generate recommendations for improving the environmental sustainability of neighbourhoods across New Zealand.