I am a Principal Scientist at BRANZ, a research, testing, and consulting organisation for the New Zealand construction industry.

I currently lead a three-year research project focused on developing a framework to evaluate new building designs based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in New Zealand. I also serve as a Board member of the Life Cycle Association of New Zealand (LCANZ), where I am working to help establish an Australasian Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) scheme.

Before joining BRANZ in 2011, I worked as a sustainability consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP and later at Arup, where I conducted LCAs, carbon footprints, and sustainability assessments across sectors including automotive, construction, oil & gas, and the public sector. I also served as Associate Director of Sustainability at the University of Gloucestershire, where I embedded sustainability into the university’s processes, developed the Carbon Strategy, and produced its first sustainability report.

I hold an Environmental Science degree from the University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich, and a doctorate from Plymouth University, where my research focused on modelling atmospheric chlorine and bromine effects on the “stratospheric ozone hole” and measuring the physical properties of more ozone-friendly refrigerants.

David’s recent kōrero