Bitumen, plywood and straw: on the aflame SkyCity Convention Centre roof

Was the SkyCity Convention Centre construction site at higher risk of fire than any other construction site or building? Alex Braae asks the experts. A fire at the SkyCity Convention Centre construction site has continued to burn this morning, after a night of lighting up the Auckland CBD sky. The fire, which unconfirmed media reports … Read more

Can Kiwibuild be salvaged? A building industry expert weighs in

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

How is a major contractor going bust in the middle of NZ’s building boom?

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