Portfolio: Building And Construction

Minister welcomes new website for LBPs

Admin — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:49:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says the launch of a new website will make it easier for Licensed Building Practitioners to access information online. The www.lbp.govt.nz site also provides information for New Zealanders wanting to find the right people for building and renovation work. “This website will act as a one stop shop and provide crucial information for those in the industry and the public.” ...

Specialist team to assist council consenting

Beehive — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 01:32:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Building and Construction

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson have reached agreement with Christchurch City Council for a team of technical experts from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to join the council’s consenting department and work with council officers to speed the flow of consent approvals. “The team will have the authority to make changes as required,” Mr Brownlee says. ...

Consent problems worse than Parker letting on

Admin — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:44:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says comments from Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker that Christchurch City Council has been consenting more than 80 per cent of its consents on time are not correct. ...

Funding for post disaster building management

Beehive — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:40:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says $1.2 million has been provided in Budget 2013 to improve post disaster building management. The Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission made 51 recommendations in relation to this area. “The management of buildings following a disaster is the one significant gap in the building regulatory framework. The $1.2 million from Budget 2013 will help develop an effective policy that will be mandated in law. It is my intention to table legislation later this year. ...

Strong response for pool safety consultation

Admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 22:22:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says more than 260 submissions have been lodged since a consultation document on the Fencing of Swimming Pools Act was released six weeks ago. Removing vague and inconsistent rules, improving national consistency and maintaining child safety are aims of the document. “People have been giving views on how to protect young children from drowning whilst reducing compliance costs for pool owners and councils. ...

New chair for Building Practitioners Board

Admin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:30:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced David Clark will be appointed chair of the Building Practitioners Board from June 30th. Mr Clark will replace long serving chair Alan Bickers. “David Clark, a lawyer of 25 years, has been deputy chair of the Building Practitioners Board since 2005. He has served the Board well and his skills and knowledge of its functions will be invaluable in the role of chair. The Building Practitioners Board was established under section 341 of the Building Act 2004. The Board’s functions are to: ...

Govt responds to Earthquakes Royal Commission

Beehive — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 21:07:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced progress has been made on responding to the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission final report and its recommendations. The Government has accepted, or accepted in principle, 77 of the remaining 83 recommendations to be dealt with from the Royal Commission’s report (Volumes 5-7). ...

Views sought on pool safety laws

Admin — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:47:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson is encouraging people to have their say on the law that protects young children from drowning in home swimming pools. A consultation document released today on the Fencing of Swimming Pools Act will be open to submissions for seven weeks. Removing vague and inconsistent rules, improving national consistency and maintaining child safety are the aims of the document. Drownings of young children in home pools have reduced from an average of 10 per year in 1987 to an average of three a year now. ...

Changes proposed for Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act

Admin — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 03:56:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

The Government is moving to amend Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers legislation to ensure the Board which enforces it can do its job of protecting public safety effectively. Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says it is apparent there is an issue with how the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board fee and levy funding provisions work. The Regulations Review Committee received complaints about the validity of fees and levies that fund the Board’s statutory prosecution function. ...

Earthquake-prone buildings submissions to get full consideration

Admin — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:15:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says a late surge of submissions has taken the number lodged on earthquake-prone building proposals past 500. The Government is seeking to introduce a consistent national approach to dealing with earthquake-prone buildings following the Canterbury earthquakes. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment proposals, which were out for three months of consultation, would require all buildings to be assessed within five years and, if earthquake-prone, to be strengthened or demolished within 10 years of assessment. ...

Strong interest in earthquake-prone buildings consultation

Admin — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:43:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says there has been a strong public response to the earthquake-prone building public consultation which ends today. “The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment have to date received 315 submissions on its proposals to change the system for dealing with earthquake-prone buildings.” This includes 270 from individuals and 45 from organisations such as local authorities, representatives of engineers, property owners and people with disabilities and heritage building interests. ...

Design competition finalists announced

Admin — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson has tonight announced the four finalists for the Christchurch urban design competition “Breathe”. The competition sought innovative medium density housing development designs from any group that included a designer and a property developer. A total of 58 entries from all over the world were received. “Due to the high calibre of entries the judges decided to name four finalists instead of the planned three,” Mr Williamson says. ...

Dunedin to host earthquake-prone buildings meeting

Admin — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:49:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says issues relating to heritage buildings are likely to be prominent at tonight’s earthquake-prone buildings public meeting in Dunedin. Proposals for a national approach to deal with earthquake-prone buildings are out for consultation, and if adopted would mean all such buildings would be dealt with within 15 years, compared with the current average of 28. ...

Earthquake-prone buildings meeting tonight in Christchurch

Admin — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 20:58:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says a public meeting on proposals for changing the earthquake-prone building policy system will be held in Christchurch this evening. “The destruction caused by the Canterbury earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 led to questions about the system for dealing with earthquake-prone buildings across the country. As a result, proposals for a consistent national approach to dealing with these buildings are now out for consultation.” ...

Second earthquake-prone buildings public meeting tonight

Admin — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:07:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says feedback from tonight’s second public meeting in Auckland will be vital in helping establish a new policy to deal with earthquake-prone buildings. Proposals for a national approach to deal with earthquake-prone buildings are out for consultation, and if adopted would mean all such buildings would be dealt with within 15 years, compared with the current average of 28 years. ...

Earthquake-prone buildings meetings to begin

Admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:02:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says public submissions will be crucial in establishing a new policy to deal with earthquake-prone buildings. Proposals for a national approach to deal with earthquake-prone buildings are currently out for consultation, and if adopted would mean all such buildings would be dealt with within 15 years, compared with an average of 28 years currently. The first public meeting on the proposals will be held tomorrow night in Wellington. ...

Changes proposed for Construction Contracts Act

Beehive — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 02:10:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Construction contract disputes will be dealt with faster and more cost effectively under proposed amendments to the Construction Contracts Act, which were introduced in Parliament today. Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says the proposed changes, which include streamlining the disputes process and introducing greater accountability, are part of a package of building law reforms aimed at making improvements to the building sector’s accountability and productivity. ...

Engineering Associates Board Appointments

Admin — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 20:46:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced three appointments to the Engineering Associates Registration Board. Deborah Cranko, Ross McArthur and Glynn Cowley have been appointed for two year terms. Ms Cranko is the director of Cranko Architects and specialises in commercial, educational residential projects. Mr McArthur is a senior manager at Downer New Zealand, and is responsible for the development and maintenance of the company’s graduate, cadet and apprenticeship programmes. ...

Govt to carefully consider Royal Commission report

Beehive — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:08:00 +0000

Christopher Finlayson | Attorney-General

The Government will carefully consider the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission’s full report and its recommendations, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson and Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson say. The third and final part of the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission’s report (Volumes 5-7) into the causes of building failures during the earthquake was publicly released by the Government today. ...

Earthquakes Royal Commission Vol 4 released

Admin — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 22:38:00 +0000

Christopher Finlayson | Attorney-General

Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson and Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today released the second part of the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission’s report (Volume 4), which covers a range of practice and policy issues relating to earthquake-prone buildings, particularly how these buildings are identified and managed. ...

Consultation on earthquake-prone buildings begins

Admin — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 22:32:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson is encouraging New Zealanders to have their say on proposals to improve the earthquake-prone buildings policy system, released in a consultation document today. “The destructive earthquakes in Canterbury have highlighted the need to review and improve our system for dealing with earthquake-prone buildings in New Zealand,” Mr Williamson says. ...

Grand Designs host to judge design competition

Beehive — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 01:07:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today launched the Christchurch Housing Showcase Design Competition in Christchurch. Phase one of the competition will seek innovative and exciting designs that can be translated into an inner city housing complex. “The competition is an opportunity to explore the potential for Christchurch to become an example of modern living and is open to any consortium that includes a professional designer and a property developer,” Mr Williamson says. ...

Better deal for retirement village residents

Administrator — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:30:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson announced today that owners of retirement village units will soon be entitled to the original capital sum of their investment following situations such as the Canterbury earthquakes. "I have made an important variation to the Retirement Villages Code of Practice 2008, to address issues highlighted by the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011," Mr Williamson says. ...

Reappointment to Engineers Council

Beehive — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced Sharyn Westlake has been reappointed as a member of the Chartered Professional Engineers Council. “Ms Westlake is an experienced civil engineer with both regional government and engineering consultancy experience. She is currently a senior engineer in the Flood Protection Department at Wellington Regional Council,” says Mr Williamson. ...

Safer outcomes for gas and electrical work

Admin — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 23:45:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Building and Construction

Changes to gas and electrical certification regimes mean safer outcomes for consumers, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley and Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson said today. The changes mean all gas and electrical installation work will now require certification. The amended regulations will be published in the New Zealand Gazette today and are the result of a review of the regimes to ensure they provide cost-effective public safety outcomes. ...

Minister announces four appointments to Electrical Workers Registration Board

Beehive — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 03:07:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson has announced the re-appointment of two members to the Electrical Workers Registration Board, Neil McLeod and Shane Dolan, and the appointment of two new members, Melbourne Orange and William Waterworth. The Minister would like to thank outgoing members David Bradshaw, and Eddie Eeles for their valuable contributions to the Board. ...

New members appointed to Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board

Beehive — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 03:05:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Murray Burns and Nicholas Fleckney have been appointed to the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board, Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson announced today. Mr Williamson said Mr Burns and Mr Fleckney replace Sue Ineson and James Fruean whose terms expired on 16 September this year. Both Graham Hardie and John Simmiss have been reappointed for a further term. ...

Earthquakes Royal Commission report released

Admin — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 01:31:00 +0000

Christopher Finlayson | Attorney-General

Attorney-General Chris Finlayson and Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson have thanked the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission for its findings and recommendations outlined in the first part of its final report, released today. The recommendations focus on a range of technical engineering issues including seismicity, recommendations to change concrete structures, structural steel and earthquake actions standards, providing guidance or training to structural engineers and low-damage building technologies. ...

Address to the 50th anniversary of the first board meeting of the Engineering Associates Registration Board

Admin — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 02:07:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Good afternoon and thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. It’s quite an achievement to have reached your 50 year anniversary. I’m aware that you’ve got over 1500 members and that’s surely a testament to both the great need for the skills of senior engineering technologists, and of the benefits of registration. ...

Address to The Registered Master Builders Federation

Admin — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:46:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Building and Construction

Introduction: • Good afternoon I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak to you today. • Today I would like to spend a few minutes on the Government’s priorities for the building and construction sector and the Department of Building and Housing’s work programme. • And I would like to thank Registered Master Builders (RMBF) for the work you have done in supporting the Department to implement the programme so far. ...