The Zero Carbon Amendment Act and the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment’s Building for Climate Change programme have brought the concept of sustainable design to the forefront of the building industry in New Zealand. This plenary provides varying perspectives on the current state of sustainable design in New Zealand with presentations and discussion from representatives across the building industry. The intention here is to provide real-world insight into successes in past projects as well as the challenges we face in reducing the carbon impact of our structures.