With women making up only 3% of tradespeople in New Zealand, it can be tricky to find one for a construction job. That’s why this website has put all the details in one place. Hiring a tradesperson to do a big job on the house can easily turn into a stressful experience. It’s not just … Read more
Everything from competition around supplying materials to how many lights you have in a room can determine the cost of building a house, says Box co-founder Dan Heyworth. You’re not imagining things – the cost of designing and building really is going crazy. In February 2017, the McKinsey Global Institute studied the effect of implementing construction … Read more
The much-vaunted Kiwibuild programme isn’t going to come close to reaching the initial house building targets. So what has gone wrong? And can it be salvaged? AUT expert Professor John Tookey answered some of our questions. The numbers on Kiwibuild are bleak. Thirty three houses built to date. A target of 1000 for the first … Read more
Kiwi builders have never been in hotter demand, but red tape is making it nearly impossible to get ahead. Alex Braae spoke to builders and bankers about the state of the construction industry. Willie Hewitt’s construction company, Westmoreland, is constantly flat out, but it’s never making any money. In the middle of housing boom he’s … Read more
In the middle of a building boom, construction companies keep going out of business. Leonie Freeman explains why it’s happening and what we can do about it. It’s hard for many of us to square: while we seem to be on the brink of a house building boom, construction companies are falling over. It’s like … Read more
Henry Oliver asked John Tookey, AUT’s deputy head of the School of Engineering, Computer & Mathematical Science, to explain how Ebert Construction is going bust just as New Zealand’s building industry is supposed to be ramping up. This morning, construction company Ebert Construction went into receivership, leaving workers on several major projects across the country … Read more
The off-site industry is full of great energy but in a mess, stumbling around looking for solutions, writes Dan Heyworth, CEO of Box, a company which has dipped its toe in the prefab business. Heralded as key to the government’s ability to build 100,000 homes over the next 10 years, prefab is hot right now. … Read more
We all agree on the ambition – the question is how. 2Degrees Mobile founder Tex Edwards says the market has failed and lays out the case for more government intervention. What is the problem with housing in New Zealand? Most young people, and families who intend to buy one during their lives see them as … Read more
Fletcher. The name is synonymous with construction and building in New Zealand, and has been since, well, forever. But it’s been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately – here are ten numbers that sum up the company’s bad news streak. $660 million This morning, Fletcher Building announced losses from its Building and … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Alex Vaz and Nik Ellis, founders of an app that links up builders, plumbers and other tradespeople with jobs that need doing around the house. ONE: How did Tradee start and what was the inspiration … Read more
Wanna run with the fast crew? Rebecca Stevenson takes a look at Deloitte’s Fast50 index to see how quickly Kiwi companies’ revenue is growing. To take a spot among the fastest growing companies in the country in 2017 businesses had to book revenue growth of 180% over three years. But are Kiwi companies growing faster than … Read more
The Aussies earn on average one-third more than Kiwis, and in some countries the gap is even wider. Data scientist and mathematician John Holt crunches the numbers. New Zealand is a low-wage economy compared to other OECD countries. When a currency’s buying power is taken into consideration, New Zealand ranked 18th out of 36 OECD … Read more
Everything conspires against affordable housing: the regulations, the cost of building and most of all the market. But all that can be fixed. AUT construction professor John Tookey explains how. Housing in New Zealand is in trouble in so many ways. Quality, cost and sustainability all have roles in the discourse. But the critical issue, … Read more