A quarterly update for GRESB Oceania members from Sarah Blankfield, Member Relations Manager, Oceania
GRESB Quarterly, Oceania | Q4 2025
As we slide into the festive season—swapping winter jumpers for sunnies, and fireplaces for beach umbrellas—I know many of us are breathing a well-earned sigh of relief as we head toward the end of year break.
I’m incredibly grateful for the ongoing support, collaboration and—yes—even challenge that this community has thrown my way throughout my second year with GRESB. Though you’re not nearly as challenging as the British vs Australian sporting rivalry Steve and I are dealing with.
As we finish off those projects, big and small, grab a mince pie (or a slice of pavlova) and join me for a look back at the last quarter of 2025 and the excitement shaping up for 2026.
Sarah Blankfield
Manager, Member Relations – Oceania
Wrapping up the Year: GRESB Assessments
Standards Updates
In case you missed it just before things got busy, we released the Standards updates for 2026.
We expect the full Standards & Reference Guides to be available in Q1 2026.
The 2026 GRESB Standards updates include:
- Strengthening incentives for meaningful action in key impact areas
- Enhancing clarity, technical robustness, and sector relevance
- Streamlining reporting by retiring select indicators and clarifying guidance
Hot off the Press: GRESB Foundation Roadmap
The GRESB Foundation has also updated its Roadmap, looking at the longer-term vision for the standards.
There is a strong long-term vision for the Real Estate Standard to move towards performance scoring on a much wider scale. With an industry consultation coming up in February 2026, we encourage members to read about this. A perfect way to kick off your new year strategic planning before the summer haze fully lifts.
For our infrastructure members, there are equally important updates including pursuing performance scoring, raising the bar in reporting and risk management, and increasing the flexibility of our tools.
Learn more in our Road Ahead webinars–more information below.
Some members have already reached out to me to arrange meetings with their teams on upcoming changes and the longer-term vision. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me to do the same.
Results Consultations – Still Open over the Summer
If your new year involves a fresh look at your results, the Results Consultation service remains available through January 2026. Gain an in-depth understanding of your GRESB results and your position against peers.
Learn more or book this service via the GRESB Portal
Have Your Say Before Santa Arrives: Member Survey
Your feedback is essential to shaping how GRESB continues to improve its insights, tools, and the member experience.
The 2025 GRESB Member Survey is designed to help us better understand what’s working well, where you need more support, and how we can enhance the value GRESB provides to your organisation.
Reliving the Australian Events
Before the out-of-office messages start rolling in and laptops get swapped for towels and eskies, we’re still riding the high from our Oceania events.
Sydney
In Sydney, we hosted our real estate community for an evening of GRESB insights, panel discussions on the topics of the application and legal implications of AI, and credible decarbonisation pathways.
With the help of industry partners such as Mike Zorbas from the PCA, we celebrated the culture and innovation of the community that led to Oceania coming out on top again in the Standing Investments and Development Benchmarks.
Thanks to our co-hosting sponsor Cushman & Wakefield for a second year, and our drinks sponsor Bueno. (And for all the compliments about my boots).
Melbourne
In Melbourne, thanks to our co-hosting partner GHD, we learned about the GRESB infrastructure results, while a fascinating panel discussion covered mandatory disclosures, challenges to decarbonisation, and collaborating cross-sector for the transition.
The key takeaway was that disclosure should be the end point of all the great sustainability work that is already happening, not the start of it.
Upcoming Events
March 2026: Chris Pyke visit
We’re delighted that Chris Pyke, our Chief Innovation Officer, will once again be coming to Sydney w/c March 16 for GBCA’s TRANSFORM conference.
We will be tying down dates and venues in the coming couple of months, but plan to host the following roundtable sessions during his visit:
- Real Estate Participant Members – focused on the Standards roadmap for 2028 onwards
- Infrastructure Participant Members – focused on the future direction of the GRESB Standards
- Investor/finance roundtable
Invites will be sent for the relevant events early in the new year, but feel free to email me if you want to ensure you don’t miss out.
Road Ahead Webinars Live & On Demand
The Road Ahead webinar for real estate took place yesterday and is already available on demand. The infrastructure webinar will be taking place tomorrow and will be made available on demand shortly after.
Hear directly from the GRESB team about the 2026 GRESB Standards Updates, the 2026 GRESB Foundation Roadmap, and broader engagements planned for the years ahead.
Partner Events
Infralogic Investors Forum | 3 March 2026 | Sydney
Now in its 9th 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.
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.
What We’ve Been Talking About
Jorge’s Appointment to the GRESB Foundation Board
We’re ending the year on a high with Jorge Chapa, Chief Impact Officer at GBCA, being appointed to the GRESB Foundation Board. After invaluable work on the Real Estate Standard Committee, we can’t wait to work with him in his new role.
“GRESB plays a critical role in shaping how ESG performance is measured and understood across buildings and infrastructure, and I’ve long admired its commitment to transparency, collaboration, and investor relevance.” – Jorge Chapa
We couldn’t be more grateful for his support of GRESB’s work and advocacy for the Australian market.
Read Jorge’s Foundation Board Member Profile
Trip to (R)adelaide for ElectraNet
I was delighted to have an excuse to visit our members in Adelaide for the first time, with an invite from Infrastructure Member ElectraNet to speak at their Town Hall.
I introduced GRESB to the audience and celebrated their fantastic 2025 results. Thanks to ElectraNet for the warmest of welcomes.
WELL Webinar
It was great to join industry partner WELL for their webcast about driving GRESB performance with WELL. We discussed the GRESB results from 2025, investor priorities, quantifying social outcomes, and WELL at scale.
Waste Webinar
While I was talking about social sustainability and impact, Steve was talking waste in the latest in a series from Gurru. The webinar covered the trends shown in NABERS and GRESB data for waste, including data coverage, quality, and diversion rates.
Holiday Listening and Reading: What We’re Enjoying This Season
Financing the transition
In my latest article for IREI Asia Pacific, I explore the importance of directing capital to brown-to-green assets. Every building – regardless of where it starts – must have a viable path to a more sustainable future.
Freeze Frame: Refrigerants as long-term building infrastructure
This discussion paper from GBCA and AIRAH brings attention to refrigerants. They make up a growing share of building emissions as electrification increases, and the grid decarbonises.
How to get exit-ready
From GRESB Global Partner Cushman & Wakefield is this how-to guide on exit readiness. As sustainability becomes a core part of acquisition due diligence, sellers who proactively address ESG factors can unlock greater value, reduce deal risk, and strengthen buyer confidence.
Bueno Nhood partnership
GRESB partner Bueno Analytics, a global leader in building optimisation and ESG analytics, has partnered with Nhood, one of Europe’s most progressive real estate service providers specialising in urban regeneration and sustainability-led asset management.
GRESB’s Podcast Series The Pulse
GRESB’s podcast series continued this quarter with the following new episodes available to stream:
- Rethinking Energy Procurement: From Compliance to Competitive Advantage
- Making Assurance Work for Real Assets
- Green Financing at the Crossroads: From Asset-Level Data to Market Transformation