A month ago (A month! Already!) PHINZ held our annual Hui, at the excellent Tūranga Library in Christchurch. I’d be lying if I said we were nervous in the runup, pulling together a packed 3 days of presentations, workshops, lectures and site visits is a massive undertaking. But on the day it surpassed all our hopes, resulting in an event that I walked away from with a full head and a full heart!
On the Wednesday our pre-Hui events were well attended and well received – ventilation design from Stiebel Eltron & Fantech, moisture control from Jason Quinn and an excellent installation session from Pro Clima, the attendees walked away with new knowledge and skills to inform their work and homes. The evening lecture from Matthew Cutler was equally successful, with a nearly full room of homeowners, designers, builders, hearing how we can all achieve healthier homes.
The following day the Hui itself began with our fantastic sponsors rolling in products, brochures and models to enlighten and excite the attendees, and to run workshops during the day for which we’ve had excellent feedback – thank you all for your time and your support!


The primary thanks for the event taking place must go to our GM Nikki, and Board member Karen, who almost destroyed themselves pulling all the threads together to
make the day a success. They absolutely put their all into the planning, as evidenced by Nikki having to leave as soon as the day finished to go and sleep; and Karen
being too run down to host as intended! I stepped in to do my best to fill her shoes as MC, and oversaw a day which proved to be a rousing success from start to finish.
Beginning with some eye-opening insights from the BRANZ HEEP2 study that set the context in which we work in, the day provided a range of case studies and examples of how we can achieve better buildings. Homestar rated, Certified Passive House, zero waste (no skips on site at all!) natural materials, reduced carbon, prefabrication and exciting retrofits; there really was something for everyone – whether a standalone home, multi-unit project or a commercial space; Passive House fits them all.
Alongside these we had some excellent educational presentations. Glenn’s breakdown of how to make your practice successful for both you and your clients was extremely valuable at a difficult time for the industry. Elsie’s approaches to communicating the power of PHPP were both entertaining and insightful (we have 3 cats Elsie, will that be enough?!), and it was fantastic to hear how building performance is being incorporated into the courses at Ara Institute of Canterbury – as a great philosopher once said ‘the children are the future, teach them well and let them lead the way’ (thanks Whitney). Morning and afternoon tea were followed by panel sessions.
The first I found extremely exciting, as we welcomed to the stage organisations that sit alongside PHINZ, pushing towards better buildings for Aotearoa. Natural building materials with EBANZ, prefabrication from OffsiteNZ, collective housing models from The Housing Innovation Society, enhanced timber construction from The Timber Design Society, and demonstrating the value of certifications from Eco Design Advisors – I found it so valuable to hear more about organisations that we can work alongside, explore different ways of doing things, and consider our projects more holistically.
The second panel saw three (potentially slightly nervous!) builders come to the stage, with an enlightening session on how to build successful Passive House projects. My primary takeaways were trust & relationships. When we’re working on a project, we’re all on the same team. How that team performs together will make or break a project, so maintaining trust and open communication is so key. The afternoon Pecha Kutcha flew through some amazing Passive House projects around the country, and in every climate that Aotearoa has to offer. From dealing with humidity in Kaitaia and retrofits in Napier, to keeping froggy bottoms warm in Queenstown! It really showed that the Passive House process that can be used successfully to suit all climates and contexts around the motu.
During the PHINZ update Guy presented our new membership structure. We hope that you all agree this is a step in the right direction, but we absolutely welcome any feedback on it, before we roll it out for the membership renewals. I also presented our proposal for our name, and identity. Following the rousing response at the previous Hui, and continued consultation with the cultural competency coordinator who originally gifted PHINZ our Te Reo name, the board are proposing to trial ‘Te Whare Korou – Passivhaus Aotearoa’. Comments and feedback are welcome, and we’re working to ensure that all the membership is heard.
As the day came to a close and the packing down began, I was heartened to see how many people just started helping, packing chairs and collecting cups – it was really appreciated; and of course, helped us all get to the social event faster! The evening evolved into a variety of enjoyable discussions over good food and drinks, and there seemed to be a couple of worthwhile hazy heads at the site visits the following day! Thank you to Elizabeth, Nick, Amanda and Pete and their neighbours for opening up their homes to us – seeing homes in construction, experiencing them when complete, and hearing stories from those thriving in them is invaluable.
Following the event we put out a request for feedback, and you answered the call!
The comments received were both positive and constructive, so thank you for taking the time to send them through. Based on this we are already keeping the momentum going and will be acting on the feedback received:
- We’re working to confirm the location & venue of the 2026 and 2027 Hui and conference in the coming months.
- We tried to fit a lot in and recognise there should have been more time for those burning questions for the presenters, we’ll ensure to include this next year.
- A Pecha Kucha for our valuable trade stands and sponsors – we want to hear more about what you’re offering.
- The workshops were great, but there was a lot in one space – we’ll work to make room & consider the venues carefully.
- Hearing from the whole project team – engineer, designer, builder, subbies; everyone is invaluable in the success of a project, so we want to hear from you all.
- Networking, networking, networking!! We will ensure to include more time to chat
All in all, I came away with an overwhelming feeling of positivity, and a real sense of community. I want to extend my deepest thanks to our principal sponsor Fantech, your support was invaluable to the success of the event. I also want to thank our sponsors BRANZ and Arkform for their support, and to all of the suppliers around the room. Thank you again to Nikki and Karen for organising, to Jessica and Luca for socials and photos, and to all of the PHINZ team who all volunteered their time over the past few months.


Finally, thank you to everyone that came along. Without you it would have been an empty room, and every one of you helped to make the day a success. It was wonderful to see old friends and colleagues, and meet new ones, many of whom I’ve already spoken several times since! We are all in this together, and I hope everyone came away from our Hui with optimism, excitement, and hope for the future.
Joe
Board Chair
Te Whare Kouru -Passivhaus Aotearoa