A quarterly update for GRESB Oceania members from Sarah Blankfield, Member Relations Director, Oceania & Japan
Welcome
Welcome to the first Oceania newsletter of 2026. February is traditionally about love letters, so consider this ours—a small note of appreciation for the momentum, ideas, and engagement you’ve brought into the year already.
We’re gearing up to launch our Public Consultation on the Road to Performance for Real Estate at the end of this month, as well as Chris Pyke’s annual pilgrimage to Australia and, excitingly, New Zealand in March.
Read on to learn about opportunities for engagement on some big topics that you’ve spoken to me about for years. Turns out persistence is attractive.
Sarah Blankfield
Director, Member Relations, Oceania & Japan
What’s New in Our Relationship: GRESB Assessments & Products
GRESB Guides
GRESB Guides is now live, marking a complete redesign of our resource experience. Think of GRESB Guides as a long-term commitment to clarity: all the guidance you need, finally in one place.
- All guidance in one place: Reference Guide content, Scoring Document content, technical FAQs, indicator summaries, and asset-level data instructions are integrated directly at the indicator level.
- Clear, intuitive navigation: A redesigned structure makes it easier to move from high-level concepts to detailed, indicator-specific guidance across assessments.
We’re keen to hear your feedback on this new format – email me.
Success Suite
The Success Suite is a bundled expression of support, designed to make assessment season a little less stressful. It brings together GRESB’s core services into a single offering, for EUR 6,000.
The Success Suite includes:
- One seat for GRESB AP
- One Technical Expert Touchpoint
- One Pre-Submission Check
- Eligibility to opt in to Assessment Correction
- One Results Performance Review
With only 100 available globally each year, contact me to sign up.
Advanced Ratings – Last Chance to Have Your Say
We’ve heard strong feelings about the five star rating system—which we take as a sign of a healthy relationship. This survey is your chance to help shape what comes next.
Learn about three potential advanced alternative ratings methods and have your say.
Please note, the deadline for the survey is February 20.
Road to Performance Standards Changes – Public Consultation
The evolution of the GRESB Real Estate Standard toward a performance-based scoring framework is a natural and necessary step in aligning with investor expectations and needs.
The Road to Performance is one of those topics you keep coming back to—and we’re getting ready to make it official with a public consultation at the end of this month.
GRESB Accredited Professional (AP)
The 2026 GRESB Accredited Professional (AP) exams for real estate and infrastructure are now available—launching ahead of the assessment cycle to give professionals more time to prepare before reporting begins.
New for 2026: a streamlined recertification exam
The updated recertification format focuses only on new and updated 2026 material, making it quicker and more efficient for existing APs to stay up to date. (Available to 2025 GRESB APs only.)
Explore the 2026 GRESB AP exams and get started here
Save the Date: Upcoming Events
March 2026: Chris Pyke Visit
Chris Pyke’s annual pilgrimage to Australia returns in March—with a first-ever Auckland visit added to the itinerary. Long-distance relationships are hard; we’re fixing that.
The following events are now open for registration:
- Infrastructure roundtable – focused on the Road to Performance for Infrastructure
- Tuesday 17 March, 10am-12pm AEDT
- Sydney in-person and online
- Registration is now open
- Real Estate roundtable hosted by Cushman & Wakefield – focused on Road to Performance
- Tuesday 17 March, 2-4pm AEDT
- Sydney in-person and online
- Please note, limited in-person spaces remain with an initial priority of one person per organisation
- Register here
- Investor Masterclass
- Monday 16 March, 2-4pm AEDT
- Sydney in-person and online
- Invites will be sent directly to Investor Members
For our Aotearoa New Zealand-based members
We’re delighted to announce that Chris has decided to celebrate his birthday with us by visiting Auckland for the first time. On Monday 23 March, we will be hosting an event with our Industry Partner NZGBC and Global Partner JLL. More information to come directly to our Aotearoa-based members.
Data Centers: Impacts and Opportunities in Asia-Pacific
Join us online on April 22 for a webinar exploring how accelerating data center demand across Asia Pacific is being shaped by real-world constraints—including limited grid capacity, uneven grid decarbonisation, water stress, and tighter siting and permitting expectations.
This session is designed for developers, owners, operators, and investors active in the data center sector.
Webinars on Demand
Assessing Sustainability in Real Estate Lending: A Lender-Focused Framework
This webinar is now available on demand and provides an overview of the GRESB Real Estate Lender Assessment—why it was developed, how it works in practice, and how it supports benchmarking, oversight, and credible engagement for lending and credit teams.
The session is designed for real estate lenders and credit teams.
Building on a successful multiyear collaboration with real estate lenders and investors globally, the GRESB Real Estate Lender Assessment is a structured, independently validated framework purpose-built for lenders.
In Good Company: Partner Events
Infralogic Investors Forum | 3 March 2026 | Sydney
Now in its ninth year, the Infrastructure Investors Forum Australia is the industry’s number one community gathering, attracting the leading infrastructure players in Australia, the biggest global fund managers, sovereign wealth funds, family offices, private wealth platforms, and domestic and international pension funds.
Register here and I’ll see you there
GBCA TRANSFORM | 18-19 March 2026 | Sydney
TRANSFORM is back again in 2026, with the agenda shining light on some of the most critical and emerging issues. From climate change and net-zero transformation to a nature-positive future, circular design, and material innovation.
Chris Pyke will be moderating a panel on sustainable finance. We look forward to seeing you there.
What’s Been on Our Mind
ANREV ESG Event
I kicked off my speaking events for the year at the fantastic ANREV Young Professionals Event, with GRESB Participant Member Pro-invest playing host, alongside GRESB industry partners NABERS.
Huge thanks to Pro-invest for sharing their journey so openly—proof that the best partnerships are built on honesty, not perfection.
Read the ANREV and Pro-invest case study
L-R: David Green-Morgan, ANREV; Mark Yates, Pro-invest; Magali Wardle, NABERS; Cindy Van Der Wal, Pro-invest.
Things We Think You’ll Love
Artificial intelligence: A Real Estate Revolution or a Real Risk?
In my latest article for IREI Asia Pacific, I explore how AI is reshaping sustainable real estate. From optimising building performance and finding new uses for underutilised assets, to the critical legal and ethical questions being raised, I drew inspiration from our Insights Series across APAC.
Systems Stewardship: Managing Interconnected Climate Risks for Lasting Value
This guide from IGCC examines how Australian investors understand and apply systems stewardship as part of managing interconnected, system-level climate risks.
Results of the GRESB & MIPIM Sentiment Survey
The GRESB & MIPIM survey found that sustainability remains a core priority for investors and managers despite recent language shifts around ESG, with climate risks and changing occupier demand posing the biggest threats to asset values.