Sustainability

At Kiwi Self Storage we are dedicated to a creating sustainable future. We want to help lead New Zealand’s transition to a resilient, zero-carbon economy for the benefit of all Kiwis.

As such we are proud to be New Zealand's first and only Toitū carbonzero certified self storage organisation. This means our self storage facilities have effectively neutralised their carbon footprint to achieve net zero emissions.

We are delighted to confirm that in 2025, Kiwi Self Storage has successfully completed its sixth year of Toitū net carbonzero certification. While other storage companies have sustainability intiatives, Kiwi Self Storage is the only self storage provider to have their program externally audited and certified.

Why the Toitū carbonzero certification?

1. It is the first greenhouse gas certification program in the world to achieve international accreditation¹. This means our certification is recognised in over 60 countries.

2. Toitū carbonzero certification means our carbon footprint, emission reductions and offsets have been independently verified.

3. Toitū carbonzero programme requirements meet and exceed international standards and best practice, including ISO 14064-1 and the GHG Protocol.

4. It was developed from solid science at Landcare Research, a New Zealand Government owned Crown Research Institute.

5. So our customers can be sure we have been assessed comprehensively to the most rigorous international standards available for measuring and managing a carbon footprint.

The certification process:

1. We MEASURE the greenhouse gas emissions associated with running our self storage facilities, including electricity, business travel, fuel, paper, and waste.

2. We commit to MANAGING and REDUCING these emissions by setting targets and reporting on emissions reduction performance.

3. Toitū carbonzero AUDIT our emissions on an annual basis.

4. We MITIGATE the emissions we can’t reduce by purchasing verified carbon credits from the New Zealand Emissions Unit Register.

Kiwi Self Storage meets the requirements of Toitū carbonzero certification having measured our greenhouse gas emissions in compliance with the requirements of ISO 14064-1:2006, committed to managing and reducing its emissions and neutralised our remaining unavoidable emissions through the cancellation of an appropriate number of verified carbon credits in respect of the operational activities of our self storage facilities.

Emission Mitigation - How we are reducing our emissions

As part of step 4 in the certification process we are required to develop plans to reduce our measured emissions where possible before offsetting them. As the bulk of our emissions were from electricity use, our projects involve reducing this use. Two of our most recent projects are:

Transition to LED Lighting

We have covered our plan to reduce emissions through conversion of lighting to LEDs in this article.

Solar Panel Installation at Storage Facilities

Kiwi Self Storage Newlands in Wellington, New Zealand was expanded in 2024 to increase the number of self storage units available. During this expansion solar panels providing 10KW of electricity were installed on the roof. This installation reduced electricity usage at this facility by over 15% and is a great contribution to our 19% reduction in emissions versus our 2019 baseline.

Early in 2025 we completed installation of solar panels at our Mt Roskill facility. Increasing total generation by an addtional 10KW.

Further solar installations are planned to begin soon at other facilities in Auckland. Planned system sizes could be around 30-70KW.

Carbon Credits - Mitigating our carbon emissions using acredited offsets

This year we have selected New Zealand based credits due to improved availability of local credits that meet Toitu's criteria.

Current Carbon Offset Projects

For 2025 we have sourced carbon credits for three projects.

Spraypoint Native Forest Regeneration Project - Marlborough, New Zealand

Spraypoint, also known as Spray Point Station, is a significant native forest regeneration site in Marlborough, New Zealand, specifically located in the upper Waihopai Valley. It's a diverse landscape where native flora and fauna are actively being restored under a QEII Covenant. The site was initially established as a high-country sheep station and has since become a center for environmental conservation and carbon farming

It is part of the Permanent Forest Sinks Initiative

Glazebrook Station - Highcountry Forest Regeneration Project - Marlborough, New Zealand

The carbon forest area is under a QEII covenant, and consists of diverse range of vegetation, including a threatened species of broom. The site provides a breeding area for the New Zealand Falcon.

The Permanent Forest Sink Initiative (PFSI)

The Permanent Forest Sink Initiative (PFSI), now part of the permanent forestry category in the NZ ETS, incentivizes long-term, sustainable management of forests, including native forests, for carbon sequestration. This initiative encourages landowners to commit to maintaining forests, often with restrictions on harvesting, for a minimum of 50 years, promoting biodiversity, soil conservation, and other environmental benefits.

These projects offset a total of 31.7 tonnes C0²e.

This is below our 2019 baseline by 19% and down 39% from 2024. While we have limited options to further reduce that, we have been able to keep the total down by: travelling less whenever possible and installing solar power at more facilties.

Additional Reading