Welcome everyone

It's a pleasure for me to be part of this special event - a showcase for Kiwi design and innovation.

I was excited when I first heard a competition was being organised for innovative designs for an affordable home.

I thought it was a great idea and I have to say that when I saw the entries a few weeks ago I wasn't disappointed.

I was blown away by the quality of the work.

This competition is about celebrating the Kiwi dream as much as it is recognising good design

Building your own home must be everyone's dream. Some are lucky enough to be able to have their dream come true but for many the dream of having your own living space made exactly the way you want it is still beyond reach. 

This competition has shown that the dream does not have to be unattainable. Wonderful new homes can be built that are affordable. The key is about innovative design that unlocks the way to new thinking and new ways of doing things.

The economic downturn

We are living in uncertain economic times. We need to acknowledge these are difficult times for the building and construction sector.

However, even in the most difficult times there are opportunities. It is up to everyone in the sector to take advantage of opportunities when they come along.

This event may mark the beginning of a new opportunity, one which will allow us to seize a good idea and make it happen.

I want to see the building industry and New Zealanders get excited about simple, starter homes. There is demand for smaller, quality homes. As an industry we need to start meeting that demand.

The competition has demonstrated that high quality homes that can be affordable

New Zealanders rightly demand quality homes when they set about building their dream. These designs show that a range of functional and practical living spaces can be incorporated into an innovative design that meets people's needs and provide a quality living environment.

It promotes simplification, standardisation and appropriate choice of house sizes

What does this mean?

It basically means that sound building practice and affordability doesn't always have to mean boring or unappealing.

Modest homes can be exciting and can capture our imagination. First-time home buyers really can build new rather than buy an existing home if they want to. In this case, less can really mean more.

Of course, the competition also highlights the architectural talent in this country

I had the opportunity to look at some of the final design entries and discuss with Gordon Moller and the other judges the innovation on show.

I was impressed by what I saw and if you look around you, I think you will be too.

I know the judges had a tough job selecting an over-all winner. There were 140 entries and the quality of many of them were inspiring.

I want to see that inspiration spread through the building sector and the rest of the country. One way of doing this is to take this message and turn it into bricks and mortar.

The winning design will be built

I am delighted to see that Housing New Zealand Corporation has committed to building the winning design and I look forward to the day when these drawings will be turned into a home.

Conclusion

Thank you all for coming today.

I hope we can all draw inspiration from what we see here and spread the word that quality design is alive and well in New Zealand!