Rainbow Park Nurseries in South Auckland uses certified renewable electricity tracked on BraveTrace NZECS to heat its glasshouses, replacing gas and cutting emissions. The system, powered by industrial heat pumps and hot water tanks, is expected to reduce the nursery’s carbon footprint by 1,190 tonnes annually.
Located in South Auckland near the Bombay Hills, Rainbow Park Nurseries operates one of New Zealand’s most advanced wholesale nursery facilities. Around 95 skilled horticulture staff work continuously to oversee plant health, ensuring consistently high standards of growing and care. Sustainability is a key focus at the site, with gas now replaced by certified renewable electricity, verified and tracked on the BraveTrace NZECS, to run industrial heat pumps that supply hot water for heating the glasshouses.
The high-temperature hot water heat pump project was partly funded by the now-concluded GIDI fund administered by EECA. Each of the two glasshouses is fitted with sixteen 30kW heat pumps – providing a combined capacity of 480kW – alongside a 30,000-litre hot water storage tank. Heated water is circulated through pipe networks to maintain the glasshouses’ internal temperatures of up to 28°C year-round, including during cold winter nights. Along with other decarbonisation initiatives, such as thermal energy storage and off-peak electricity usage, the system is expected to cut Rainbow Park Nurseries’ overall emissions by 1,190 tonnes annually.