About Us

What is Beacon?

Beacon Pathway Ltd is all about finding affordable, attractive ways to make New Zealand homes more sustainable by changing the design, construction and renovation of New Zealand’s homes and neighbourhoods.  

On 30 June 2010, Beacon completed its six year research contract with the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.  An end-of-term review by FRST has commented on the success of Beacon’s research programme in terms of both research advances and driving change. 

As the end of the contract also brings to an end the formation of Beacon Pathway Ltd, several of Beacon’s shareholders are  considering how best to build on this success in the future.

Our vision was:

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We had two aspirational goals to bring about a significant improvement in the sustainability of New Zealand’s homes:

1. To bring the vast majority (90%) of New Zealand homes to a high standard of sustainability by 2012; and

2. That every new subdivision and any redeveloped subdivision or neighbourhood, from 2008 onwards, will be developed with reference to a nationally recognised sustainability framework

We want to inspire smarter living…and believe the home is the place to start

Our houses – how they’re built, what they’re made of, how we use them and how they relate to other houses and facilities in our neighbourhoods, towns and cities – determine how well we treat the Earth. Our homes have a huge impact on the environment with the resources they use and the pollution they contribute from manufacturing materials and operating our homes with power, water, waste and heat.

Most importantly, our homes determine how well we live.  Beacon believes we can all live in homes which perform much better than they currently do: warmer, healthier, cheaper to run and kinder to the environment. And we can all share the benefits – happier, healthier family life.

We use robust science based research in the New Zealand built environment

We were committed to increasing knowledge and understanding through research.  The quality of our research is reflected in the end of term review conducted by the Foundation for Research Science and Technology.  The panel found that Beacon’s research has been instrumental in moving the housing sector foward, and commended both the quality of research and the communication of its learnings.

Read the Executive Summary of the 2010 End of Term Review below.

We believe actions speak louder than words

Beacon’s research was not just head knowledge. Our research was trialled in live New Zealand-based demonstration projects, to prove it works and can be done affordably here. The NOW Home® and Papakowhai Renovation projects trialled and tested sustainable homes and renovations.  The HomeSmart Renovation project worked with homeowners, landlords and tenants to sustainably renovate New Zealand homes.

We relied on capable partners to put our knowledge and research into action

Our knowledge has been shared with key stakeholders throughout government, infrastructure and industry who partnered with us to put the research into practice, and with homeowners, tenants and landlords who can benefit from living in warmer, drier, healthier homes.

Sharing information, experience and resources is not just desirable – it’s the only way we can all start to live more sustainably.

We were supported by established and influential shareholders

Established in May 2004, Beacon Pathway Ltd was a collaborative research consortium of organisations with a considerable stake in the quality of the residential sector - Fletcher Building, New Zealand Steel, Waitakere City Council, BRANZ and Scion.

Shareholder contributions were matched, dollar for dollar, by funding from the Foundation for Research, Science & Technology (FRST).