News

An exquisite hill side home in Mahau Sound, a striking home renovation in Marlborough and The Rock at Wellington International Airport have taken out the Supreme Awards in the Registered Master Builders 2011 House of the Year and RMB Commercial Project Awards, in association with PlaceMakers. The national winners were announced at a black tie gala dinner attended by over 600 building and construction professionals held at the Langham Hotel in Auckland.

Future-Proof Building (FPB) has installed their new iPad application QR code system into the new Jennian Homes show home in Lincoln, Christchurch.

The Partners in Action Pledge has been developed as part of the Department of Labour’s National Action Agenda 2010-2013.

Get the technical know-how on refurbishing houses from different eras with www.renovate.org.nz.

From 1 July this year, all notifications of hazardous work have been able to be completed online, saving time and effort.

FPB has now opened its first Tomorrow’s Showhome in the Waikato area proudly built by Classic Builders Waikato Limited.

A panel of judges has hit the road in the Manawatu, assessing this year's entries in the Registered Master Builders PlaceMakers 2011 House of the Year and RMB Commercial Project Awards.

Changes are being made to Building Code documents to increase the seismic hazard factor for Canterbury and to require stronger foundations for buildings, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says.

The Auckland City Warmer Home Refit scheme has been under scrutiny this week.

Auckland Council yesterday released a proposed change to residential zoning in central Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore.

Yesterday Demographia, an market research company specialising in the financial impact of development on people, particularly in the American market, released their 7th annual International Housing Affordability Survey.

A timber deck has many functional uses and can be an asset to any home. Carters and Future-Proof Building have teamed up to bring you summer Top Tips for creating the Outdoor Living Area of your dreams.

Earthquake recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee today announced a package of new measures to assist Canterbury business in the wake of the September 4 earthquake. Over half a million dollars has been set aside to provide support.

Auckland residents are invited to attend an open day on 23 November which will explain plans to develop New Zealand's largest new town at Flat Bush.

The government are encouraging more tradespeople to become licensed early in a move to improve consumer confidence and builder accountability in quake-damaged Canterbury.

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson has released a discussion document on the Construction Contracts Act 2002 today.

The new to market Kiri Low Flow Shower won Gold in the Sustainable Product category at the prestigious Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards 2010 held on 1 October.

Of the 1200 properties in Canterbury seriously affected by the quake, repairs can be made to all but 16, says the EQC. A stage 1 geotechnical report, released yesterday by the EQC and developed by engineering consultancy Tonkin & Taylor, detailed the nature and extent of the damage.

The ADNZ/Resene National Design Award winners were announced at a presentation dinner at The Rutherford Hotel in Nelson on Friday 15 October. For the first time in the 14 year history of the awards, the Supreme Award was presented for a commercial building.

The new Electricity Industry Act 2010 came into force on 5 October, the result of a government review into the electricity market. One measure implemented will be the establishment of the new Electricity Authority on 1 November 2010, replacing the Electricity Commission.

eDay, a community initiative launched in Wellington in 2006, will this year be held in 40 centres across NZ on Saturday 6th November.

Environment Minister Nick Smith today announced $1.15 million in grants from the Waste Minimisation Fund for eDay 2010 and new e-waste processing facilities.

"Owners of damaged Canterbury homes and buildings should be able to choose licensed practitioners to work on their properties", Maurice Williamson, Minister for Building & Construction said during a visit to Christchurch today.

How Future-Proof Is Your Home? Future-Proof Building is pleased to introduce the Home Assessment Tool. Now online, this assessment will help identify problem areas that could be affecting homes and the health of New Zealand families.

Officially open to the public from yesterday, Wednesday 22nd September, the Ellerslie Renovation Home is the latest in the nation-wide Tomorrow's Showhome initiative for Future-Proof Building.