Community charity benefits from Construction waste
A Queenstown local charity, Happiness House, recently received a refit of their op shop using diverted construction materials. The independent charity operates from a series of buildings on Park Street, offering the local community a range of support services during life’s challenging situations.
The op shop is a valuable resource for the community, aimed at providing community members with clothing and household items at affordable prices. Happiness House has long faced the challenge of finding suitable storage and display space for their items. Thanks to a donation of time and diverted construction materials from Cook Brothers Construction, the shop has undergone a refit that offers customers a significantly improved experience.
Sustainable Carpenter, Andy Armstrong, worked with Happiness House to create the bespoke storage solutions from recycled materials. The new facilities have made a world of difference to the charity, manager Léna Boss says:
“What makes this project so special is that it reflects exactly what Happiness House is about – finding value in what others might overlook, and using it to support people in our community. The new storage and display solutions have made an enormous difference to how the shop functions, and knowing they were created from recycled materials makes it even better. We’ve already had so much positive feedback from the community – people are noticing the difference as soon as they walk in. It feels less cluttered, more spacious and bright, and so much more accessible. It’s a real example of what’s possible when businesses and community organisations work together with shared values.”
The donation from Cook Brothers Construction is part of their sustainability strategy, which focuses on using diverted construction waste for community benefit. Cook Brothers Construction is committed to a strict waste reduction policy across its construction sites, aiming to recycle any waste construction materials that can then be used by the company’s sustainable carpenters on community projects. CBC Sustainability Manager, Kristy Jones said:
“Supporting community groups doesn’t always have to come in the form of a cheque. Our Sustainable Carpenter Programme is about seeing value where others see waste and using those materials to create something meaningful for the community. It’s a triple win - we divert construction waste from landfill, help reframe waste as a resource rather than rubbish, and support local organisations with practical solutions they may not otherwise have access to. Just as importantly, it helps spark conversations around reuse, repair, and repurposing within our industry and community.”
In 2025 alone, the Cook Brothers Construction Sustainable Carpenter programme diverted more than 25 tonnes of construction waste and supported over 56 community groups across the lower South Island.
In addition to supporting Happiness House with their op shop refit where approximately 600kg of diverted construction materials were used, the Cook Brothers Queenstown team collected over $700 in donations to the community pantry. This was organised by the team to support families in the community as we head into the cold winter months.
