A quarterly update for GRESB Oceania members from Sarah Blankfield, Members Relations Manager, Oceania
GRESB Quarterly, Oceania | Q2 2025
As we settle into the chillier months of the year, it’s hard to believe we’re already in May and that the GRESB Assessments have been open for six weeks (no need to panic… yet!). The drop in temperature is a frosty reminder that time keeps marching on.
This past quarter has been brisk with activity—from welcoming the ever-inspiring Chris Pyke in March, to a whirlwind trip across the Tasman to visit our friends in Aotearoa New Zealand in April. Just like a well-layered coat, this newsletter has a lot to keep you warm: insights, updates, and a look at what lies ahead.
Stay warm, stay focused, and as always—reach out if we can support your assessment journey.
Sarah Blankfield
Manager, Member Relations–Oceania
GRESB Assessments—Warm Up to Assessment season
The Assessments are fully underway, and while it’s tempting to hibernate, now is the perfect time to get cozy with your data. Remember: submissions close on 1 July, so don’t let it sneak up like an early frost.
Key reminders to keep your progress on track:
- 2025 Standards changes—all your essential resources are just a click away
- Score Contribution (real estate): This insightful tool lets you unwrap the layers of your GRESB Score and see how each asset plays a part. Now enhanced with building certifications and energy ratings.
- Data Exporter | 2025 Submitted Data (infrastructure): Now available via the GRESB Data Exporter, this new functionality allows you to download assessment data as soon as it’s submitted through the GRESB Portal—no need to wait for the final results to be released in October. Learn more
- Residential Component (real estate) | A reminder that GRESB is now tailor-made for residential entities, with a new component for participants who have portfolios consisting of more than 75% residential assets by GAV. Learn more about this important update
Participant services to help you through the season:
- QuickStart: With only a couple of weeks to go for this new service, QuickStart is designed to help new and existing participants familiarise themselves with GRESB quickly so they can better navigate the assessment process. At its core, the service focuses on one-to-one engagement with GRESB’s Member Success team to cover all they need to know for a seamless reporting period.Available until end of May 2025 (subject to availability)
- Pre-Submission Check: Like a winter car check-up, this third-party review ensures your Assessment is ready to go prior to final submission. Carried out by Sustainability Assurance Services, this assessment service features a careful review of the Assessment response followed by a one-hour discussion call during which feedback will be given regarding any issues that were found. Feedback in the form of a report is also available.Available to request until 20 June, with calls scheduled until 27 June. However, make your order through the GRESB Portal soon, as spots are filling up fast—especially time zone friendly ones for Oceania.
Upcoming Events
GRESB in-person
Our planning has begun for the 2025 Regional Insights event series in Oceania:
- Real Estate | Sydney | 6 November 2025, 4.30-9.30pm | Save the date!
- Infrastructure | Melbourne | November 2025 (date TBC)
Webinars—stay indoors and learn on demand
Understanding the GRESB Benchmark: A Guide for Investors: This short, on-demand webinar is designed specifically for investors, offering a clear and practical guide to understanding how the Benchmark works, what it reveals, and how you can leverage it for smarter investment decisions.
Setting the Standard—A New Approach to Energy Efficiency: This webinar explores the evolving energy efficiency landscape in real estate, focusing on the alignment between GRESB’s updated methodology and the ASHRAE Standard 100:2024.
Partner Events to Wrap Yourself in
Plan the rest of your 2025 schedule with events from our Partners.
GBCA’s Green Building Day 2025
Green Building Day returns in 2025 to showcase best practice in Green Star across the nation. The one-day program will feature case studies and discussions with a technical lens and provide practical learnings that can be incorporated into your project.
20 May–26 June | Multiple Australian cities | Register now
RIAA Australia Conference
The RIAA Conference Australia is a must-attend event for finance, sustainability, and industry practitioners to delve into the pressing issues that define the responsible investment landscape today.
28–29 May 2025 | Sydney | Register now
WELL Summit: Sydney Flagship
WELL flagship summits are the premiere opportunity to engage with global leaders and forward-thinking changemakers, all united in their commitment to creating people-first places.
20 August 2025 | Sydney | Register now
IGCC Summit 2025
The Investor Group on Climate Change will celebrate their 20th anniversary at this year’s IGCC Summit. This milestone Summit—themed Decoding the Transition—offers a unique opportunity to reflect on that progress, hear from industry veterans who shaped today’s landscape, and celebrate collective achievements.
16–17 October 2025 | Sydney | Further information
What We’ve Been Talking About—Our Seasonal Highlights
Ben Thomas recognised for his outstanding contribution
We were delighted to hear news from the GRESB Foundation meet-up in London that our own Ben Thomas was recognised for his exceptional contribution. Ben, who draws on many years of experience in both delivering and leading sustainability, decarbonisation and nature repair outcomes has been a member of GRESB’s Real Estate Standards Committee (RESC) since 2023.
Charles van Thiel, GRESB’s Director, Real Estate Standard, noted that Ben has been a very strong contributor since he joined the RESC, particularly through his direct involvement in the first Taskgroup on embodied carbon. He spent hours online, often at very inconvenient times, to help GRESB develop the roadmap and the 2025/2026 Standard updates for this topic.
Congratulations, Ben! We couldn’t be prouder.
Ben Thomas (L) with Charles van Thiel, GRESB’s Director, Real Estate Standard, in London
Chris Pyke’s Visit to Sydney
We had an action-packed week in mid-March, during which we barely gave Chris Pyke, our Chief Innovation Officer, time to sit down on his visit to Sydney.
All our events acknowledged the significant global political and regulatory challenges and uncertainty.
Many thanks to our roundtable hosts: CBRE (Real Estate), Morrison (Infrastructure), and TCorp (Investors).
Our key takeaways and topics of discussion:
- Infrastructure
- Participants emphasised the need for transparent and actionable information for investors
- Data coverage and data accuracy are key
- Other discussion topics included climate risk and the fragmented world picture of mandatory reporting, as well as emerging issues of nature, social metrics, reporting burden, and demand models for the energy transition
- Real Estate
- Scoring for highly efficient assets in 2025 was well-received by participants, including future direction of travel
- Physical climate model inconsistency—participants use different models with different inputs and time horizons which makes them incomparable
- Other discussion topics included the move to market-based options for energy procurement, and the wish for recognition for voluntary LGC surrender in the local market
- Investors are:
- Increasingly integrating sustainability themes and recognising their interrelated nature
- Focusing on real world outcomes
- Monitoring the impact of global policy action
Email Sarah Blankfield if you were unable to attend and would like to request the summary notes from one of the sessions. Please note, the investor roundtable summary is only available to investor members.
Top: GRESB Real Estate Roundtable, Sydney. Bottom: Chris Pyke presenting at GBCA’s TRANSFORM Conference
Trip to Aotearoa New Zealand
In April, Steve and I headed across the ditch to see our members and to jointly host an event with our partners JLL and NZGBC in Auckland.
We were blown away by the attendance at the breakfast event and relieved that the attendees weren’t too distracted by the amazing view from the JLL offices.
The event highlighted the urgent need for sustainable real estate in New Zealand, and JLL launched new research revealing a significant supply-demand imbalance in sustainable office buildings.
I moderated the panel discussion, and my eloquent panellists deserve to be quoted in their own words:
- “As regulatory pressures increase and tenants prioritise sustainable spaces, we expect […] premiums to grow even further.” – Dr. Georgia Warren-Myers, JLL APAC Head of ESG and Risk
- “Our sustainability journey has shown us that green buildings aren’t just an environmental imperative—they’re a smart financial move. We’re seeing tangible benefits in terms of tenant attraction, retention, and long-term asset value.” – Fabio Pagano, GM of Property at Oyster Property Group
- “The property sector is at a tipping point. We’re seeing unprecedented demand for green certifications across all building types, driven by environmental concerns and clear health and financial benefits.” – Andrew Eagles, CEO of the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC)
Steve and Sarah with Andrew Eagles (L), CEO of NZGBC
Product Launches
Whether you’re sheltering from the wind or diving into new learning, the GRESB Accredited Professional (AP) Program is now available to everyone. Looking to enhance your expertise and make an even greater impact in 2025? GRESB AP offers individuals the opportunity to deepen their understanding, reporting, and management of sustainability data and performance within the GRESB Real Estate and Infrastructure Assessments.
Learn more and contact us to discuss pricing for multiple exams.
Winter Reading and Listening
Bundle up and enjoy some insightful reads by the fireside (or heater).
IREI: Byte-sized footprints—Sustainability considerations for data centres
In my latest article for Institutional Real Estate Asia Pacific, I examine the key considerations of data centre sustainability, as demand across APAC booms. Come for the punny title, stay for the content about energy use challenges and the limits of off-grid solutions, emerging innovations, and social and land use impacts.
Navigating Data Centre Sustainability with GRESB
Looking for more information on data centres? They are among the most rapidly expanding real asset investments, facing unique sustainability challenges that can significantly impact long-term performance.
GRESB’s latest white paper offers practical guidance and insights.
GRESB moves forward towards standardising Scope 2 emissions reporting
In the latest update about the net-zero challenge, this article explores the steps to standardise Scope 2 emissions reporting in the GRESB Infrastructure Standard.
How GRESB is pioneering real estate’s understanding of renewable energy
And for real estate, delve into Erik Landry’s (GRESB’s Director, Climate Change) article about the relationship between energy markets and carbon accounting.
Trust in an AI-informed world
From our Partner, the Sustainable Digitalisation Project, this report provides insights and practical solutions to strike the right balance between the potential for innovation with AI and the risks.
Voices of Aotearoa: Demand for Ethical Investment in New Zealand 2025
Published by Mindful Money and RIAA, this annual survey shows that New Zealanders are standing firm in their commitment to ethical investment.
GRESB’s podcast series The Pulse
GRESB’s podcast series continued this quarter with the following new episodes available to stream: