Cuttriss are positively influencing our environment by design

With offices in Kāpiti and the Hutt Valley, Cuttriss have provided land surveying, engineering and planning expertise across the Greater Wellington Region for more than 75 years. They are now breaking new ground and embedding sustainable practices into their business.

Surveyor/Environmental and Innovation Lead Ryan McNie shares some of the insights that Cuttriss learned along their carbon reduction journey.

Cuttriss on achieving Carbon Zero certification

“At Cuttriss, our commitment to sustainability is deeply rooted in our belief that we can positively influence our environment by design. We know that the projects we undertake today shape the world of tomorrow and will leave a legacy for future generations. We want that legacy to be a positive one, and one that we can look back on proudly, so we need to make sure our purpose is reinforced by our actions,” Ryan said.

This objective saw the company make a conscious decision to adopt more sustainable practices, including partnering with Toitū, New Zealand’s leading carbon certification organisation, to achieve Carbon Zero certification.

Ryan said that the journey was initially challenging due to a lack of in-house experience, but with the exceptional support that Toitū offered Cuttriss was able to grow internal capability. Cuttriss has since created the Environmental and Innovation Lead role to drive their environmental programmes.

Ryan explained that reducing transport emissions was one of the key initiatives they took.

“As we are a consultancy business, we do not directly emit a large amount of emissions, and our biggest factor by far is our transport, namely commuting and site visits. We are actively purchasing electric vehicles to reduce our emissions. We are also proud that we offer an incentive to those employees who take alternative transport to work, whether that be public transport, walking, or biking.”

The investment in developing sustainable practices has already returned benefits, including lower fleet running and maintenance costs, giving Cuttriss a competitive edge in a carbon-conscious market, and positioning them as an employer of choice.

The company’s core expertise – surveying, engineering, and planning - also offers opportunities to make significant impacts by planning for the development of climate resilient housing in a way that protects and enhances environmental outcomes.

“We are actively working with clients to provide modern medium and high-density housing opportunities in the areas of our towns and cities with good connections to public transport. Not only does this promote efficient land use, but also aids in reducing transportation emissions. Creating new homes in the right places is one way we can have a positive impact on the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Ryan says that although Cuttriss may not be a major carbon emitter, they can still be leaders in the climate resilience space, and actively choose to be more sustainable in their business practices. It’s an approach he encourages everyone to follow.

“The sustainability journey can be overwhelming, however through small incremental actions we can make a huge collective difference.

So, my advice would be to start small and tick off some easy wins, such as providing bins for recycling and composting, or getting in touch with industry experts such as Toitū to help you to get started.

And don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

To find out more about Cuttriss and their sustainability initiatives visit https://cuttriss.co.nz/

Read the full Q&A with Surveyor / Environmental and Innovation Lead at Cuttriss, Ryan McNie [PDF 204 KB].