Displaying 1 - 24 of 42 results.

The Rotorua Lakes district has been added to Schedule 1 of the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas (HASHAA) Act 2013, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

Housing supply in the Nelson-Tasman region has received a major boost with the establishment of 20 new Special Housing Areas (SHAs) with capacity for 1700 homes, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

KiwiSaver HomeStart is playing an increasing role in helping home buyers purchase their first property, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

A $94,700 Government grant from the Earthquake Upgrade Incentive Programme, Heritage EQUIP, will strengthen the historic building which is home to Nelson’s iconic Lambretta’s Café, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith and Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry announced today.

  • Maggie Barry
  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction
  • Arts, Culture and Heritage

Residential, commercial and infrastructure building activity is forecast to continue to boom for the next three years to a record $42 billion in 2020, according to the independent National Construction Pipeline Report for 2017 released today by Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

Labour’s Bill purporting to make homes healthier would delay the Government’s requirements for landlords to insulate their rental homes by three years, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith and Hurunui District Mayor Winton Dalley have officially opened the Waiau temporary accommodation village for Hurunui residents whose homes were damaged in the Kaikōura Earthquake.

“The Hurunui District was hard hit by the Kaikōura Earthquake in November 2016, with more than half the dwellings damaged. This has led to families leaving the district while awaiting repairs and rebuilds as there were no alternative accommodation options,” Dr Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

A renewed Housing Accord between the Queenstown Lakes District Council and the Government was signed today to ensure the momentum of new home construction continues to grow to keep up with the tourist town’s growth, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

The Housing Infrastructure Fund will provide $300 million of infrastructure funding to Auckland Council for another 10,500 new houses across two major new subdivisions in Auckland, Finance Minister Steven Joyce and Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith say.

“This investment will fast-track the construction of large housing developments at Whenuapai and Redhills by increasing capacity of the water and transport networks in the area,” Mr Joyce says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Steven Joyce
  • Finance
  • Building and Construction

The Housing Infrastructure Fund will provide 10,700 more houses across two major new subdivisions in the Waikato, Finance Minister Steven Joyce and Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith say.

“These investments will unlock two major subdivisions in one of New Zealand’s fastest growing regions,” Mr Joyce says. “It will provide network roading and water infrastructure for the 8100 section Peacockes Development on the southern border of Hamilton and a 2600 section subdivision in Te Kauwhata in Northern Waikato.”

  • Nick Smith
  • Steven Joyce
  • Finance
  • Building and Construction

Five of New Zealand’s fastest growing Councils will have infrastructure projects funded through the Government’s $1 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund, Finance Minister Steven Joyce and Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith say.

“These funding decisions will help provide another big step forward in housing supply,” Minister Joyce says. “The funding will be used to provide network roading and water infrastructure for 60,000 houses across nine projects in these five fast-growing urban areas.”

  • Nick Smith
  • Steven Joyce
  • Finance
  • Building and Construction

The Housing Infrastructure Fund will provide $230 million in funding to the Tauranga City Council to provide for 35,000 more houses through three major new infrastructure projects in the city, Finance Minister Steven Joyce and Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith say.

“These infrastructure projects will provide for a very large part of the expected need for additional housing for the next 30 years in one of New Zealand’s fastest growing regions,” Mr Joyce says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Steven Joyce
  • Building and Construction
  • Infrastructure
  • Finance

Claims by Opposition parties that building consent figures are not a reliable measure of new home completions have been disproved by a Statistics New Zealand report released today, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

A Bill which provides better protections and clarity for tenants and landlords has passed its First Reading in Parliament 105-14, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“The Bill makes sensible and timely changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to help ensure our tenancy laws better manage methamphetamine contamination, liability for careless damage and the tenancy of unsuitable properties. It builds on the changes we made last year requiring smoke alarms and insulation, and establishing a Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team,” Dr Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

New laws requiring the identification and upgrade of earthquake prone buildings come into effect this week, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

Forty temporary accommodation homes at Rangers Park village will become social and affordable homes to help Christchurch residents in need of housing, Housing New Zealand Minister Amy Adams and Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

Seven of the temporary accommodation homes at Rangers Park village have been sold to Housing New Zealand, with the remaining 33 houses to be sold to first home buyers under the KiwiSaver HomeStart scheme.

  • Nick Smith
  • Amy Adams
  • HNZC
  • Building and Construction

The number and value of homes being constructed across New Zealand is continuing to grow and reach new highs, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith said today in response to the May statistics on building consents.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

New Zealanders will be able to better manage the risks of methamphetamine in residential properties following the release of a new standard, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Jacqui Dean say.

“The new standard is a huge step forward in helping home owners and tenants deal with the risks of methamphetamine contamination. It will give people greater confidence and certainty, will result in hundreds fewer properties having to be vacated and save millions in unnecessary decontamination work,” Dr Smith says.

  • Jacqui Dean
  • Nick Smith
  • Commerce and Consumer Affairs
  • Building and Construction

I move, That the Point England Development Enabling Bill be now read a third time. This bill is part of the Government's comprehensive housing plan, where we are pulling every lever available to get more housing built. It is the sort of pragmatic legislation that shows we are serious about resolving the problem. It also provides the benefits of enabling the settlement with Ngāti Paoa and a plan to enhance the amenity and recreational value of this long-neglected reserve.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

The passage of the Point England Development Enabling Bill through Parliament this evening will benefit Auckland with additional housing, help resolve Ngāti Paoa’s Treaty claim and improve the local environment and recreation facilities, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

New Zealand is less exposed to the risks of fire as a result of combustible claddings on high-rise buildings due to these products being restricted earlier this year, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith and Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese today signed a three-year extension to the Nelson Housing Accord to help grow the city’s housing supply.

“The Accord signed today provides the basis for the Government and the Nelson City Council to continue working together to ensure sufficient sections and homes come on stream to match the region’s strong economic and population growth. The answer to Nelson’s housing issues is helping get more homes built,” Dr Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

Geotechnical guidance developed as a result of the Canterbury Earthquake Royal Commission will ensure better building performance and response to earthquakes, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“MBIE has today released new geotechnical modules on methods of improving ground conditions and retaining wall design, and a new field guide to help geotechnical professionals assess and categorise land instability after an earthquake,” Dr Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

The Government is committing additional funding in Budget 2017 to implement some of its key environmental and infrastructure initiatives, Environment and Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“The new funding in Budget 2017 is focused on putting in place improvements to urban development, implementing the Housing Infrastructure Fund, providing additional funding to improve fresh water quality, and supporting marine-protected-area reform,” Dr Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Environment
  • Building and Construction
  • Budget 2017