The Addington, Christchurch retirement community won the Resident-led Gardening and Landscaping Award where residents are actively involved in the design and upkeep of the garden areas. Resident working groups are tasked with a variety of jobs like looking at improving soil conditions, sourcing new plants and organising garden working bees.

The community was also recognised with the Operator-led Sustainability Award for their electric vehicle and solar charging project.

There’s now solar panels installed on the roof of their four-story building that directly feed the 15 electric vehicle charging stations located in the community. The residents log into an app, choose the time and day they need a vehicle then the website/app will show the cars that are available for them to book.

Arvida Head of Sustainability and Compliance, Arveen Horsefield says “It's wonderful to see Arvida being recognised for efforts in sustainability. We realise that our residents are the most engaged in sustainability and it's an important part our strategy is to enable our residents to live a sustainable lifestyle.”