Displaying 1 - 24 of 73 results.

Subcontractors owed money are to get better protection for payment for work done in changes to the Construction Contracts Act approved by Government, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

The regulation of engineers is to be strengthened to ensure they have the right knowledge, skills and competence to design safe buildings and to hold them more accountable for substandard work, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

“We need to improve the occupational regulation of engineers involved in the design and construction of buildings and to increase the consequences for those found to be incompetent,” Dr Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

The Government has announced a new initiative to develop better housing and urban environments as part of its programme of National Science Challenges.

Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities – Ko ngā wā kāinga hei whakamāhorahora was one of the areas identified by the National Science Challenges Panel in 2013 where science has the potential to significantly benefit New Zealand. This is the eleventh National Science Challenge to be announced by the Government.

The Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities Challenge will deliver:

  • Nick Smith
  • Steven Joyce
  • Science and Innovation
  • Housing
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith today announced two new appointments and five reappointments to the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board.

“The Board has an important role in protecting the health and safety of New Zealanders by ensuring that plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers are competent and properly licensed,” Dr Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith has welcomed the Assessment Report from International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ) today which shows the Christchurch City Council is making good progress towards regaining its accreditation as a Building Consent Authority (BCA).

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

Builders will be required to have written contracts, provide information on their relevant skills, experience and qualifications, and disclose their insurance and warranty cover from 1 January 2015 for residential building work valued at over $30,000, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

A new system for managing buildings in the event of earthquake or flooding disasters was launched by Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith at the Australasian Structural Engineering Conference in Auckland today.

"We need better systems, stronger guidance and improved preparation for managing building safety after a major disaster. We want to minimise risk to people's safety while also enabling communities and businesses to recover as quickly as possible," Dr Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith today released post-earthquake technical engineering guidance on the seismic design of residential retaining walls in Christchurch’s Port Hills.

“This new technical guidance is critical to supporting the rebuild. It will help ensure retaining walls are built to a high standard and will assist in resolving what is required to repair properties and houses,” Dr Smith says.

  • Nick Smith
  • Building and Construction

Farm buildings are to be exempt from the requirements for assessments under the Government’s earthquake-prone buildings policy, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy announced today.

“The Government is not satisfied that the risks posed by farm buildings justify the cost of every building being assessed. These buildings have a low occupancy rate and there is no record of a fatality caused by a farm building collapsing in an earthquake,” Dr Smith says.

  • Nathan Guy
  • Nick Smith
  • Primary Industries
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson has welcomed the passing of the first reading of the Building (Earthquake-prone buildings) Amendment Bill today.

“This Bill will ensure earthquake-prone buildings are dealt with in a timely manner by way of a nationally consistent system and will require information about earthquake-prone buildings to be made available to the public.

“It strikes a balance between protecting people from harm in an earthquake and managing the costs of strengthening or removing such buildings.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand has agreed to review the adequacy of engineering design work done for four Christchurch buildings.

Following issues with Christchurch City Council’s consenting processes arising last year, engineers raised with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment concerns about the design and safety of seven buildings.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Building and Construction

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced no safety problems have been found in a random audit of building consents issued by Christchurch City Council.

International Accreditation New Zealand revoked the council’s building consent accreditation in July 2013 following its inability to bring its processes up to the required standard.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Gerry Brownlee
  • Building and Construction
  • Canterbury Earthquake Recovery

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced more than two-thirds of the structures part of a review into buildings with non-ductile columns have been cleared or excluded.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment led review seeks to establish if there are any buildings with similar design flaws to the Canterbury Television Building, which collapsed in the February 2011 earthquake and killed 115 people.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson and Disability Issues Minister Tariana Turia today announced terms of reference and timeframes have been set for a review into building access for disabled people.

The review will look at how the Building Act and Building Code’s provisions relating to access for people with disabilities are being implemented when buildings are first constructed or altered.

  • Tariana Turia
  • Maurice Williamson
  • Disability Issues
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced changes will be made to pool safety laws to save more lives.

“Amendments to the Fencing of Swimming Pools Act 1987 are expected to prevent a further six children drowning in home swimming pools every 10 years.  It will build on the success of the 1987 Act, which reduced the number of drownings in home pools from about 100 every decade to about 30 now.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says the passing of the Building Amendment Act 2013 today will lead to a more productive, efficient and effective building industry.

The Act has been amended to introduce several new measures to protect consumers and encourage the building and construction sector to ‘build right first time’, delivering good quality, affordable homes.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Building and Construction

The Construction Sector Report launched today highlights the huge wave of work in the years ahead for the construction sector.

Speaking at the launch of the report today Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says the sector needs to be ready to ride this wave and make sure it has the skilled workforce it needs.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced Catherine Taylor has been appointed an acting member of the Building Practitioners Board.

Ms Taylor’s appointment, which follows the death of board member Bill Smith in September, is for a term of one year and 10 months.

“Catherine Taylor has held senior management positions in both the private and public sector, including five years as Maritime New Zealand’s chief executive. Her governance experience will be invaluable to the Board,” Mr Williamson says.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson tonight announced a partnership involving a Christchurch building company and Italian architects and engineers has won the Breathe – New Urban Village design competition. 

The winner, a consortium consisting of Riccarton-based Holloway Builders in partnership with architects Anselmi Attiani Architettura and engineers Cresco, was named at an event at Christchurch’s Cardboard Cathedral.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson and Disability Issues Minister Tariana Turia today announced a review has begun into building access for disabled people.

The review will look into how New Zealand Standard 4121, which outlines how people with disabilities can access buildings, aligns with the Building Code and how the Code more generally represents the needs of disabled people.

  • Tariana Turia
  • Maurice Williamson
  • Disability Issues
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced that owners of retirement village units are now entitled to a better minimum payout following situations such as an earthquake.

Previously, a retirement village operator could deduct maintenance charges for future work on uninhabitable or destroyed homes from the owner’s original capital payment on the property. Under changes to the Retirement Villages Code of Practice 2008, which take effect today, this is no longer possible.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced the appointment of Debra Hall to the Electrical Workers Registration Board for a term of two years.

“Ms Hall has extensive governance experience and has a record of success in business and management.  She has undertaken many research projects, with one of the main areas being how markets respond to deregulation.

“I’d like to thank outgoing member Penelope Mudford for her contribution to the board over the past six years,” Mr Williamson says.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced that 111 buildings have been cleared and a further 62 excluded in the review into buildings with non-ductile columns.

The review being led by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment seeks to establish if there are any buildings with similar design flaws to the Canterbury Television Building, which collapsed in the February 22nd 2011 earthquake and killed 115 people.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Building and Construction

The Government has today agreed to a new Order in Council, under the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act 2011, to ensure people continue to be protected from earthquake related hazards in Christchurch’s Port Hills.

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says the latest geotechnical information confirms a level of risk from hazards, such as rock roll, still exists in the Port Hills.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Gerry Brownlee
  • Building and Construction
  • Canterbury Earthquake Recovery