Great South has been actively working with businesses to reduce emissions for the region since 2018. This effort began with the establishment of the Carbon Neutral Advantage programme in partnership with the Ministry for the Environment and the Tindall Foundation. Since then, Great South has also been measuring the regions emissions to track progress and identify further opportunities.
Business Support
Decarbonisation Support
Empowering Murihiku Southland with Decarbonisation Support and Innovation.
Our focus is to support Murihiku Southland businesses and nonprofit organisations to decarbonise. We do this through various outreach and educational programmes, with the aim to reduce our regions emissions.
Workshops
The various decarbonisation projects and programmes developed are a direct result of the Net Zero Southland report we commissioned in 2021, as part of that programme. These include emission-reducing boiler conversions and decarbonisation workshops for business, as well as our sustainable tourism programme and sustainable tourism webinar series.
Decarbonisation Contestable Fund
The Government Waihōpai / Invercargill Decarbonisation Contestable Fund was established by Great South in partnership with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority in 2022. Its purpose was to accelerate the decarbonisation of commercial fossil-fuelled heating systems in the Invercargill City area. It also had a dual purpose to stimulate the domestic economy and support employment as part of the COVID-19 recovery.
The Contestable Fund is now closed for applicants and the funding has ceased.
There were 15 applicants in total and 9 projects selected for the fund. The below projects are either now complete or under way:
- Mitre 10 Mega (LPG to Heat Pump)
- IBIS hotel (Diesel to Electric boiler)
- South Port (Diesel to Heat Pump
- Bainfield Park Residential Care (Coal to Wood pellets)
- Habitat for Humanity (Diesel to Wood pellets)
- Southland Adventist Christian School (Coal to Wood pellets)
- The Daniel Rees Trust Fund (143 Spey St., Diesel to Heat pump)
- Thompson Property Group (Railway station, Coal to Wood pellets)
- Ascot Park Hotel (Coal to Wood chips)
The expected carbon savings for our region as a result of these conversions are approximately 2000 tCO2e per annum.
