Meeting Nature’s Challenge

We promote sustainability.

Tim Griffith uses his passion for sustainability to help IAG contribute towards New Zealand’s reduced carbon footprint.

My role’s about creating environments that reflect who we are as a company. It’s making sure our spaces are safe, resilient, productive and great places to be.

We recently had a company filming a commercial in our award-winning head office at the NZI Centre in Auckland. They talked about how much they liked our space and wished they could work in it. Unprompted feedback like that suggests we’re getting things about right.

Work environments are continually changing, which is why we’ve refurbished our Christchurch Show Place office in partnership with the building owners, Goodman. It was our chance to strengthen its resilience and embrace a range of energy-efficient technologies that, along with good design, make it an enjoyable place to be in.

Show Place now features a variable air-conditioning system, that doubles airflow while reducing energy consumption, switchless LED lighting and zoned occupancy sensors and real-time energy monitoring. It also has a hot water system providing more capacity while using less energy that, along with a new staff shower block, helps encourage our people to walk, run or cycle to work.

As the first building in New Zealand to achieve a 5 star whole building rating from the Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority and the New Zealand Green Building Council, Show Place is an important addition to the legacy of environmentally sustainable buildings we’re developing.

That’s supported by the investment we’re making to create dynamic workspaces and embrace new technologies that help our people work more collaboratively and travel less between our branches, offices and call centres. I’m proud to be playing a role in bringing IAG’s commitment to sustainability to life.

We champion resilience.

We all know the impact natural disasters can have on people’s lives. They damage our homes, workplaces and the communities we live in. The Canterbury earthquakes show just how devastating these events can be. And while we don’t know where, we do know New Zealand will face further disasters in the years to come.

This was on my mind when we considered how to learn from Canterbury. We wanted to respect the experiences of those involved and find better ways to help New Zealanders prepare for when disasters strike.

To do this we spoke openly with people from across the community. In my experience, bringing different people together helps develop new ways of thinking and creates change. It can be difficult but that’s essentially what I do – find areas of common interest from which to make a difference.

I was given a clear signal from those we spoke to that they wanted a voice to help make the next recovery a better one. Resilient New Zealand was our attempt to deliver that and our first project looked at how businesses can contribute more in future disasters. To make sure it was a strong voice, we asked our friends in the business and community sectors to help.

It was humbling to hear people’s stories and see the passion they have for their city. Their experiences and reflections helped us identify ways that we can all contribute to a more resilient New Zealand.

I’m really proud of our work and I think the broad support we’ve gained shows we’re on the right track. We have made a good start and I believe we have much more to offer.