It was this experience that led to Te Āwhina Marae, whose descendants are the hapū and iwi of Te Ātiawa and Ngāti Rāru in Motueka, engaging with Scott Construction to undertake a housing project consisting of 20 new homes at the marae in Motueka, Nelson. This $15m project was the largest of its kind in Te Tauihu o te Waka-a-Māui and is part of a larger $30m marae redevelopment that includes an education hub, a new wharekai, extended wharenui as well as an arts centre and office buildings.
In a bid to be better kaitiaki - custodians of the land - a key focus for the marae was to minimise as much waste as possible throughout the build period. All facets of the build were considered.
This was the first large-scale waste minimisation project Scott Construction had ever undertaken. Obtaining buy-in from their site teams was a big hurdle, given they had always utilised one skip for disposing of materials to landfill; education would be needed. The location of the marae also provided transport challenges with Motueka more than 45 minutes away from most disposal points.
The Scott Construction team knew they had to get better at what they were doing and reached out to WM New Zealand in Nelson to help. There were several challenges that we needed to overcome, including:
To ensure project success, we first secured support from site teams through strategic stakeholder engagement. Following consultation with WM New Zealand, Scott Construction designated an Environmental Coordinator to spearhead the initiative. This key role encompassed promoting sustainable waste practices, tracking waste and recycling metrics, collaborating with subcontractors and site personnel, and coordinating bin logistics and placement.
Before separation initiatives were implemented, WM New Zealand provided procurement advice on recyclable building materials, for example utilising Terra Lana insulation as an alternative to non-recyclable Pink Batts. Over eight-waste streams were identified as recyclable and source separation bins and signage were installed to recover these materials. Regular presentations were held onsite by the WM New Zealand team to support all the new initiatives and to ensure the site teams understood the impact.
This project achieved a massive 48% recovery rate and WM New Zealand provided sustainability reports to track and measure the success. Through effective education and training, the Scott Construction site teams rapidly embraced the new waste management practices.
This success has led to their incorporation into company policy and site induction procedures, establishing a new standard for sustainable operations across future projects. Scott Construction celebrate recycling successes and run staff events with proceeds obtained from recovering scrap steel.
Since this project, the Nelson Construction and Environment Alliance was formed to give a wider voice to the construction industry. With Scott Construction and WM New Zealand as members, it aims to achieve waste minimisation and support initiatives like site-specific waste management plans, staff and subcontractor education, and design collaboration and procurement policies.
Source separated for recycling: Untreated timber, steel, plasterboard, general waste, mixed recycling, coloured film, cardboard, PVC pipe.
A massive recovery rate which WM New Zealand provided sustainability reports to track and measure the success.
This initiative aligned with our commitment to kaitiakitanga – our responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of our whenua, land, and tangata, people. By prioritising waste reduction and the responsible management of our resources, this sets a precedent for future developments by providing confidence that we can do this by working together!
Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi.
Miriana Stephens
Wakatu Incorporation
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