Articles and Updates
Sustainable Business Awards Finalist
The Hawea Grove made it to the finals in the "Communicating for Impact" category! Last month, someone kindly sent us a link for the New Zealand Sustainable Business Awards. We had heard of this prestigious event before, but never even considered ourselves as a...
New Sponsors for the Interior Fit-out
Building is progressing extremely well here at the Hawea Grove and we're now looking to our plans for the interior. We're really excited to announce a further five supporting partners, who will help us to make the inside of our home both beautiful and functional,...
EPISODE 06: Waste Management
Do you realise how much waste a standard 3-bed new build creates? In this episode we explore some of the issues around construction industry waste, on-site recycling setups and seek advice from the local Queenstown Lakes District Council.The Series The objective is to...
EPISODE 05: The Concrete and Steel Dilemma
Episode 05 begins with an update on progress so far, then continues into some of the decisions and dilemmas that come with concrete and steel – two materials that have particularly high carbon emissions in their manufacturing process.
Thank You to our Latest Partners
We're four episodes deep now and the support for our unique project is growing quickly. A huge THANK YOU to our latest four supporting partners...We're really excited to announce our fourth round of partners... Queenstown Lakes District Council A few months back we...
Building Consent Approved!
As with any new build, consent from the council can be a fickle process. With a project like this and with Covid-19 rearing it's ugly head in the middle of the process, we were expecting some big challenges. But we were pleasantly surprised!Building Consent Challenges...
EPISODE 04: Project Lockdown
Project Lockdown moves away from the sustainable building angle a little, taking a more personal approach and exploring what happened at the Grove during the Covid-19 crisis. It was certainly a memorable time for everyone who joined us and we thank you all for being a...
The Four Week Lock Down
Well that escalated quickly! Covid-19 just sent us all to our bedrooms to think about what we've done to this planet. Actually, Auntie Jacinda made that call, to keep us all safe. We're happy she did. We were part way through the filming of Episode 03, which now has a...
EPISODE 03: On the Road to Meet the Experts
Episode 03 takes a different approach, going on the road to visit an energy modelling expert as well as checking out the first hempcrete house that was built in this region. We had originally intended to finish this episode with the harvesting of hemp fields up in...
EPISODE 02: Summer Living, First Planting and Concept Plans
Welcome to Episode 02 folks! In this episode we take a look at the construction of a yurt, the first plantings and some of the concept designs for the house itself. Enjoy...The Series The objective is to showcase the twists and turns of creating and managing a...
Announcing our Third Round of Partners
After releasing our first episode, we've been working on securing a few more partners for our eco building project, while getting the plans ready to submit to the council for building consent. Both aspects have progressed rather nicely!We're really excited to announce...
EPISODE 01 RELEASED
This is the beginning! Episode 01 of The Hawea Grove series is out... This has been a dream in the making for a few years now. The goal of this series to document our journey into eco building, from the perspective of a consumer with little experience in the...