Wood products have role to play

  • Shane Jones
Building and Construction

The Wood Processors sector constitutes a critical part of an industry worth billions of dollars to the New Zealand economy. The timber sector however, needs to be able to identify and take advantage of new opportunities and to adapt to new challenges both internally and offshore.

And I want the Government to be able to help you do this.

You have already heard from John Harper, senior adviser at the Department of Building and Housing, summarising the results of a major timber treatment survey.

It is information that will be used to shape future policy around timber treatment.It’s a good example of how Government, whether it be at a ministerial level or departmental, is engaging with industry to discuss issues important to its future prosperity and together coming up with new ideas and new solutions.

Another cross-government initiative is aimed at changing industry attitudes towards timber as public building material.

From the end of this year, the Mandatory Timber Option, as it’s currently called, requires all government-funded proposals for new buildings up to four storeys to have a built-in-wood option at the initial concept / request-for-proposals stage, including indicative sketches and price estimates.

This will not prevent alternative options from being used; rather the requirement will be a tendering rule, administered by the Ministry of Economic Development which all departments must apply. It is important to bear in mind that normal tendering criteria apply and will continue to include fitness-for-purpose and value-for-money.

Your members of course, do not need to be told about the benefits of using wood in the design of buildings, particularly in terms of sustainability. We all recognise the importance of wood – I certainly do having been involved in home construction up in the Winterless North -- but the question is has its potential been fully recognised by the large-scale commercial construction sector ?

This scheme therefore, is designed to raise awareness into the potential timber poses for bigger projects, especially among building owners, quantity surveyors and designers. There are few examples of commercial or public buildings built predominantly of wood, but this new rule could open the way for such innovation and imagination.

The benefits are tangible because timber is a renewable and low-energy resource and, of course, there’s is a plentiful supply of sustainably-grown timber here in New Zealand.

As producers and processors of New Zealand’s most popular building material, you will be pleased to hear that progress is being made with the third element of building reforms - product certification ( along with Licensed Building Practioners (LBP) scheme, and Building Consent Authority (BCA) .

This is a scheme which enables products to be assessed and certified as meeting requirements under the building code.It will be instrumental to consumers’ confidence in the materials they use to renovate or build their homes.

One important aspect of this is that it is a joint trans-Tasman agreement so certification is applicable in both countries; allowing businesses like yours to take advantage of the whole Australasian market.

These are all important reforms; and at the same time a lot of work is going into streamlining the consent process and getting rid of unnecessary red tape. Let me tell me tell you that I have spent a lot of time talking to builders and others right across the sector since becoming Minister last November.

The message given to me was that the industry was fed-up with the costs and delays associated with red tape, and I have moved to make a modest contribution through the Ministerial hat I wear.

If there is one thing I do recognise, it is the problems the industry faces. You are business people and like everyone who is in business you require the right conditions to operate in a business friendly environment.

I look forward to listening, talking and working with timber producers and processors over the coming months building on common interests to ensure the industry continues to prosper.