Moisture Protection for walls and ceilings in wet areas.
- Enhanced tile weight performance.
- Increased fastener space tolerances when tiling.
- Updated CAD details including tiled shower recesses.
For further information call 0800 100 442 or go to gib.co.nz/aqualine
InHouse is the official magazine for the New Zealand Certified Builders Association Incorporated (NZCB). Published bi-monthly in hard copy and online, InHouse is posted to NZCB members, industry partners and stakeholders and sent electronically to carpentry apprentices and polytechnics.
New Zealand Certified Builders PO Box 13405, Tauranga Central, Tauranga 3141
10 Marsh Street, Tauranga 3110 07 927 7720
0800 237 843
www.nzcb.nz
Editor
Linda Moody
07 557 9214
linda@nzcb.nz
General Manager –
Marketing and Partnerships
Karla Farrar
021 906 234 karla@nzcb.nz
Advertising and Content
Linda Moody 07 557 9214
linda@nzcb.nz
Designers
Wave Agency
www.waveagency.co.nz
Print and Distribution
Kale Print Limited
www.kaleprint.co.nz
Mailing List
Hello and welcome to the August/September issue of the New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) InHouse magazine. I hope this issue finds you all safe and well with not too many winter bugs bothering your business and family! As we get closer to spring, and hopefully some drier weather, our two major events for the year are behind us but it’s still very busy for the team at the NZCB National Support Office (NSO).
It is rewarding for the team at NSO to take a brief moment to celebrate the success of another outstanding NZCB AGM, Conference & Expo. You will find highlights on pages 40 to 43. While the NZCB AGM, Conference & Expo is an exhausting couple of days for NSO staff, it is a privilege to attend. For those of us who only see our members once a year, it provides a fantastic opportunity to meet, work, and interact with the many NZCB members and partners we communicate with on a daily basis; you can’t beat a face-to-face conversation.
Already looking ahead, our General Manager – Marketing and Services, Karla Farrar has digested the valuable feedback provided by our members and started planning an improved NZCB AGM, Conference & Expo for 2024. Next year’s event will be held in Wellington at the stunning new Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre. More information to come in the next issue of InHouse.
A massive congratulations to the 21 apprentices who took part in the NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM Final, our second major event of the year. You are amazing! The hard work and effort you put in should
be acknowledged and celebrated. A recap of the event, including the overall winners, can be found on pages 46 to 50.
Thanks to the generosity of a collection of our talented partners and associates, we are fortunate to have articles in this issue from experts in their field. You will hear from trades and business coaches, construction law, employment law, insurance, accounting and technology experts, as well as leaders in Health & Safety, mental health, and wellbeing. Remember; one hour of learning equals one LBP Elective Point.
To keep you up to speed, we have updates from NZCB NSO, Halo Guarantees Limited, Geoff Hardy (NZCB Building Contracts) and the regions, as well as the latest news from the industry including events, products, and services.
I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together for you.
“Don’t forget to smile today, as a smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” Phyllis Diller.
Until next time, take care, and stay safe.
If you have received a copy of InHouse and wish to opt out, you would prefer to receive it via email, or would like to update your details please email linda@nzcb.nz. InHouse magazine, including the wrap, is 100% recyclable. InHouse is printed on PEFC-certified paper, supporting the growth of responsible forest management worldwide. The press used to print InHouse has a UV light drying system (LED), meaning there is no solvent to evaporate, and no environmental pollutants are formed. It also uses less power than traditional print technology, which helps reduce overall C02 emissions.
Find NZCB on
Online ISSN 2703-2418
The contents of InHouse may not be reproduced in any form, either in whole or in part, without written permission of the Editor. All material received will be assumed to be intended for publication unless clearly labelled ‘Not for Publication’ and will be published at the discretion of the Editor. Views expressed in articles in InHouse are not necessarily those of New Zealand Certified Builders Association. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information included in this publication, the designers, publishers, and editor take no responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences of reliance on this information. Articles are not intended to be relied upon as legal advice.
This year marked the end of two terms for two New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) Board Member Director positions. These positions have been held by Mike Craig and Mike Hayward, who did not choose to stand for re-election.
A Call for Nominations went out to members in March and six nominations were received.
From the nominations received we went out to members in May to vote on who they would like to represent them on the NZCB Board for the next three years; 397 members voted.
At this year’s Annual General Meeting, held in Christchurch in May, it was announced that Ian Chamberlain (Taupō) and Niamh Short (Wellington) were successful in being elected to the NZCB Board.
Mike Craig has been a member of the Association since 1998 and is also a Foundation Member (Foundation members financially contributed to the Association in 1998 when it was formed to help keep NZCB going). Mike was involved in the Wellington Committee before joining the NZCB Board.
Mike has contributed enormously to the NZCB Board since he was elected in 2013. During his tenure, Mike held the positions of Vice Chairperson (2018 – 2020) and Chairperson (2020 – 2021) and was involved in many milestone changes for the Association over this time.
Mike has a massive knowledge base and loves delving into the detail. He will continue to represent NZCB on many committees and advisory groups, including the BRANZ Building Research Advisory Council, and an MBIE-led Building for Climate Change group, which aims to make the construction industry carbon zero by 2050. Mike has also been appointed to the Halo Guarantees Limited Technical Advisory Committee for the next three years. The NZCB Board says Mike will be missed around the board table with his ring bound board pack.
While we thank Mike for his time on the Board, we also wish Maria and Mike the very best and thank them for their commitment to the Association and membership.
Mike Hayward joined the Association in 2010. In 2013 he became involved in the NZCB Waikato Committee, holding the position of NZCB President Waikato (2016 –2020).
In 2020, Mike was elected to the NZCB Board and has been a dedicated Member Director over this time. He also held the role of Vice Chairperson for the last year.
Mike’s passion to openly debate subjects for the betterment of the Association and its members is second to none, especially when he takes the opposite side to everyone else to encourage the board to look at all sides of an issue. The NZCB Board will miss Mike’s infectious positivity and laugh but know he won’t be far as Mike remains on the Halo Guarantees Limited Board and the Waikato Committee.
Thanks Mike, we wish both you, Janine, and the family all the best as you stand down from the NZCB Board.
We would like to welcome our two new NZCB Board Member Directors, Ian Chamberlain and Niamh Short.
Having qualified as a carpenter and joiner in the 1980s, Ian has over 35 years’ experience in the construction industry, owning Chamberlain Carpentry & Joinery in Taupō since 2004. Ian has been a member of the Association since 2004 and an active member of the NZCB Taupō Committee (2010 – 2019) holding the roles of NZCB President Taupō (2010 – 2014) and Vice President (2017 – 2019).
In 2019, Ian was elected to the NZCB Board as a Member Director. He held the positions of Chairperson (2021 – 2022) and Vice Chairperson (2020 – 2021) before his term ended in 2022.
Ian is an advocate for NZCB through his involvement on external boards and groups, including the Building Officials Institute of New Zealand (BOINZ) and the NZS 3604 Standards Development Committee. Ian is also passionate about youth development through his roles on the Boards of Lake Taupō Rotary and Taupō Pathways. Welcome back Ian!
Niamh completed her apprenticeship and became a qualified builder in 2018. Later that year, she teamed up with another builder and started Windy City Builders Limited in Wellington.
In 2019, Niamh joined the Association and quickly became part of the NZCB Wellington Committee, holding the role of NZCB President Wellington (2022 – 2023).
In 2020, the NZCB Board invited Niamh to join a meeting to discuss ‘Women in Building’ and then in 2022 she was invited to join a NZCB Conference Working Group, working closely with the National Support Office to plan the 2023 NZCB AGM, Conference & Expo.
Niamh holds a Degree in Psychology from Sussex University and Victoria University. Welcome Niamh!
Following the above changes, the new NZCB Board met on Tuesday 18 July, where they elected Nick Farrelly as NZCB Board Chairperson. Nick has been a member of the Association since 1998 and was elected to the NZCB Board in 2021, holding the position of Vice Chairperson (2021 – 2022) and Chairperson for the last year.
Nick has been involved with the NZCB Auckland Committee for many years and has held various roles including NZCB President Auckland (2019 – 2021). He runs Edgecity Builders Limited in Auckland with his wife, Sharon.
Garry Nott, elected to the NZCB Board in 2022, will take the position of Vice Chairperson. Garry has over 30 years of experience in the industry, including 10 years teaching carpentry at the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT).
Garry joined the Association in 2007 and has been on the Nelson Bays Committee since, holding the role of NZCB President
Nelson Bays (2012 – 2018). He runs Tasman Homes (Nelson) Limited with his wife, Paulette.
Our two Independent Directors, Katrina Bach and Andrée Atkinson, who have been on the NZCB Board since 2021, remain unchanged.
To learn more about the 2023 NZCB Board of Directors, you can read their profiles at www.nzcb.nz/about-nzcb/.
New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) is proud to introduce a new Affinity Partner, MYOB, which has recently partnered with the Association to bring members another discounted service.
MYOB is a business management platform that helps you manage your customers, supply chain, projects, employees, finances, accounting, and tax, all from one place.
Whether you’re just starting out or running an established business, you can manage your entire business with MYOB. Streamline tasks, build powerful connections, and grow confidently with MYOB, a solution that’s future-ready and that helps turn your ambitions into reality.
Wherever your business is headed, MYOB adapts to meet your changing needs, while providing the visibility and confidence you need to make better, more educated decisions.
For more information about what is available to you as a NZCB member, visit www.myob.com/nz/campaign/ commercial-partnership-association.
3 Send professional invoices and quotes on any device and save time with features like invoice tracking, auto-reminders, and recurring invoices.
3 Easily manage payroll, automatically calculate taxes, leave and KiwiSaver, report Payday filing and complete your pay run in a few clicks.
3 Stay on top of your expenses by scanning receipts and sending them directly to MYOB for reconciliation. Plus, major suppliers like Bunnings can send invoices straight to your software to help you save time and stay organised.
3 Gain insights into your financial performance. Use real time data on tax, cashflow, and payroll to make informed business decisions.
3 Track time, profits, and expenses for any project and create comprehensive reports to see which jobs make the most money (and which don’t).
3 Integrate with tools you already use, creating a single, accurate system for all your business data.
In May, the New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) Board ratified the 2023-2025 Strategic Plan, which I presented at the Presidents Forum prior to the 2023 NZCB AGM, Conference and Expo. The single page Strategic Plan is a result of a facilitated March strategic planning session with the NZCB Board, NZCB Chief Executive, Halo Guarantees Limited Chief Executive, and guests. The preparation undertaken prior to the strategic planning session, the single page Strategic Plan outcome, and the ambition of the plan itself, represents new territory for NZCB.
Underpinned by the vision, NZCB recognised as New Zealand’s association for professional builders, there are four aspects to the Strategic Plan as summarised below:
• Developing a suite of Business 101 and Carpentry Profession courses. The former supports stronger business performance by our members, while the latter provides a career pathway for qualified builders, post completion of their apprenticeship.
• Repositioning the membership classes to include those that are directors, or managers in a Business member’s company, who do not qualify to be an Individual member, though who will benefit from attending new NZCB educational events (which will become restricted to NZCB members). Looking at the Business member category itself, why isn’t this the Company vs. the Individual?
• Providing members with a dashboard where attendance of NZCB events can automatically be recorded, and which members can (ideally) print a record of learning that can be sent to the LBP Board as evidence of having undertaken training.
• Developing a digital one-stop shop for residential builders with guidance and policy/protocol templates that a builder needs to run their projects or businesses, provided across multiple channels including an app.
• Building an organisational and IT structure that supports delivery of the Strategic Plan.
The result of delivering on the Member Investment and Structural & Systems streams is that residential builders view NZCB as THE Association to belong to.
•○ NZCB providing thought leadership and action on key industry issues such as:
–○ Sustainability
–○ Building affordability
–○ Construction technology adoption
–○ Training
• NZCB active with its advocacy.
The result of delivering on the Future Proofing the Organisation stream is that homeowners develop a strong preference for employing a NZCB builder.
• NZCB becoming an employer of choice that attracts people with great attitudes, high levels of competency, who are genuinely excited about where NZCB is heading, and understand our work supports thousands of our members and their employees.
• A culture that has everyone on the waka and facing in the right direction, with NZCB viewed as a place where they can grow and extend themselves professionally.
Delivering on our Strategic Plan requires new and additional resourcing, and new ways of operating. It requires investment in NZCB’s IT and HR, which includes realignment of National Support Office roles and structure. We are well advanced in both areas already, with one very visible change being the creation of a new Education & Events team that will be an essential addition to support the significant new focus on member training.
Another change is the development of an Executive Leadership Team that existing and incoming managers will be members of. This new model will allow managers and I to focus on organisationwide issues and future direction. The HR realignment that underpins the new structure will create the capacity for managers to operate in this manner. This new approach will align the National Support Office to the strategy-led direction the NZCB Board has adopted for the Association.
Malcolm Fleming NZCB Chief Executive
• NZCB redesigning and repositioning membership classes to be inclusive for everyone in the business.
• NZCB delivering a suite of business skills/ support offerings that are relevant to everyone in the business and which supports stronger business performance.
• Repositioning NZCB members from ‘builder’ to ‘building professional’, attracting the best (those that want to grow) and leaving the rest, and turning complaints into insight.
• Below the line communications & marketing – delivering a compelling membership proposition that pulls builders and their business partners to NZCB.
• Develop greater synergies between HGL and NZCB to deliver greater value to homeowners and members.
• A smart digital shop window to our members that drives stronger engagement and delivers better data insights for NZCB.
• Building an organisational and IT structure to support delivery of the NZCB’s strategic objectives.
• Create a ‘one stop shop’ for residential builders with guidance and policy/protocol templates that a builder needs to run their projects or businesses – available via multiple channels including an App.
NZCB recognised as New Zealand’s association for professional builders
• NZCB thought leadership and action on key industry issues such as sustainability, affordability, training, and construction technology adoption ‘in our lane’.
• Being the voice of the residential building market – NZCB active in advocacy and engagement with government and media.
• Above the line communications & marketing that pulls homeowners to use NZCB members.
• Having a culture that provides growth, accountability, and support.
• Attract and retain the right people and equipping them to deliver on our objectives.
• NZCB is an employer of choice, a thriving environment in which people love working.
• A motivated & engaged workforce with ‘everyone on the waka’.
Kia ora New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) whanau, as I begin this article, I am mindful of becoming a broken record, but I am experiencing an increasingly high number of members seriously exposing themselves when they have been engaged to do building work for clients.
The most common contract-related shortfalls include members:
• Conducting work over $30,000 without a building contract. In some cases, the work is over $500,000.
• Trying to implement a NZCB Fixed Price+ Contract like a Cost and Mark-up contract.
• Not invoicing or serving payment claims properly resulting in the builder not being paid.
• Continuing work while having outstanding unpaid invoices.
• Striking out numerous terms and conditions from the NZCB contract through lack of understanding of the risk this exposes to them and their business.
• Adding variations to the cost of the job without having it approved by the client in writing.
• Not taking a deposit or taking a deposit and using it during the build.
• Using a NZCB Fixed Price + Contract to meet the bank requirements, then drawing up a second contract (Cost and Mark-up) to facilitate the build.
What are the alternative solutions to the above shortfalls?
• For building work to the value of $30,000+, the Building Act requires you to provide a building contract to the client. Don’t forget the prescribed documentation (Client Checklist, Disclosure Statement). Best practice is to use a building contract regardless of whether the work is over or under the $30,000 threshold.
• Both parties must sign the building contract for the agreement to be in place. If there is no contract signed, both parties default to the Government contract terms and conditions (a safeguard), which are not builder friendly.
• It is very important to take a deposit upfront and implement the deposit how the building contract stipulates, i.e., the deposit should sit untouched for the duration of the contract until you reach the Final Payment Claim, where you will write it off against that final payment claim amount e.g., Final Payment Claim = $90,000 – Deposit $50,000 = $40,000 outstanding.
• The deposit can either be in the builders bank untouched or in an escrow account untouched. Putting it into an Escrow account where both parties can access it may assist with the bank’s requirements of loss of deposit cover and non-completion cover. It can be viewed as protection
for both parties; if the builder is liquidated, the client can access the deposit to pay any outstanding subbies/suppliers who are owed money. On the flipside, if the homeowner runs out of money, the builder can access it to pay any subbies/ suppliers owed.
• Key thing to remember when using a NZCB Fixed Price+ Contract . The price you have given to undertake the work is a fixed price, not an estimate. The + sign refers to any additional cost either through additional work added to the original scope, price increases through the Cost Fluctuation Clause, and through Provisional Sums for line items which when priced later are more than what was allowed for. All these must be treated as a Variation and captured as a Variation.
• If you don’t invoice or are not serving payment claims and you start to experience delays in paying or non-payments, then you will need to start serving payment claims. If this doesn’t motivate a client to pay, then you need to start exercising the terms and conditions of the contract. My recommendation is to address the situation immediately using the terms and conditions of the building contract to assist you, so you don’t get too far into the next stages of work when you haven’t been paid for the previous.
• Do not strike out terms and conditions of the NZCB contract before seeking legal advice on the risk involved in doing so. Call Geoff Hardy, Martelli McKegg Lawyers (NZCB Building Contracts creator and NZCB Association Construction Lawyer) on 09 379 0700 to discuss your situation because he may have alternative options.
• Use one contract and one contract only for the work you have been engaged to do. Trying to mislead the banks in an effort to have lending approved will quickly come back to bite you. Especially when you are submitting payment claims and they are not marrying up with the original payment claim schedule for the bank to release the money for payment.
Both parties must sign the building contract for the agreement to be in place. If there is no contract signed, both parties default to the Government contract terms and conditions (a safeguard), which are not builder friendly.
Or if you end up in court over a payment dispute… which contract will you take? Do the right thing and be fully transparent. Work with the banks to meet their needs and provide alternative solutions if necessary.
It isn’t getting any easier when banks are involved. In fact, banks are becoming more and more demanding. It is my opinion that banks are very much misinformed on the building process and are just undertaking a checklist process to minimise their risk. It is up
to us as an industry to provide as much information to the banks as possible so they can make an informed decision in you and your clients’ favour. I feel NZCB National Support Office can and need to do a lot more in the banking industry to put our members in a better qualified position of understanding with banks, and it is something I have and will bring to NZCB Chief Executive Malcolm Fleming and the NZCB Board’s attention.
Lastly, I would like to bring to your attention that the consumer engages you, the builder, for your professional services – you’re not engaging them to do their work. So, remember that when you are dealing with a challenging client who is asking to change the conditions of the contract. They have engaged you for your professional services, so they need to accept your terms and conditions, not the other way around.
In need of assistance? Call myself or the team at the National Support Office on 0800 237 843.
Nga mihi.
Shane Ririnui NZCB Education and Technical Manager
Providing a voice to represent New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) is a collective effort. The NZCB Board, Members, Chief Executive and Management sit on several national boards and industry groups and attend various industry functions. Below you will find some of their recent advocacy work.
The second meeting of the 2023 – 2026 Building Advisory Panel (BAP) is scheduled for Monday 24 July. This date falls outside of the InHouse publication sequence, though the benefit of having NZCB’s Chief Executive (CE) on the BAP was demonstrated between meetings. The CE reached out to a senior Kāinga Ora manager (and BAP member) to investigate whether a comment made to an NZCB Territory Manager that Kāinga Ora had a
The successor to the 2022 Plasterboard Taskforce has a more wide-ranging mandate to get in front of any product supply issues. The Upper North Island weather events of early 2023 stimulated regular meetings of this group as the impact of the flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle was being assessed. As supplychain constraints have reduced, the regularity of the group’s meeting cycle has likewise lessened.
NZCB representative: Chief Executive
Malcolm FlemingThe second meeting of the Onsite Strategic Reference Group (SRG) was held online on Thursday 4 May. The agenda: to confirm relevant industry representatives had been identified, enabling the SRG to effectively provide strategic and directional advice on the long-term skills and needs of the construction industry to Waihanga Ara Rau. The SRG confirmed its terms of reference and identified areas for future focus and development,
With the first tranche of H1 changes now implemented, the lifecycle of this small group has effectively come to an end. The central legacy of the group’s work has been the creation of the BRANZ hosted H1 Hub and industry’s contributions to the H1 educational material that populated that digital platform. NZCB was a contributor to that content creation
procurement policy that excluded NZCB members from bidding for their projects, was true. Due to the BAP connection, NZCB was quickly able to confirm that Kāinga Ora has no such policy, thus demonstrating the value of developing high-level industry networks through forums such as BAP.
NZCB representative: Chief Executive
Malcolm FlemingThe P3604 Committee met in Christchurch on 25 May. This meeting was to discuss feedback on better usability of the NZS 3604.
NZCB representative: NZCB Board Member Director
Ian Chamberlain
being conscious of not duplicating work already underway by other industry groups and bodies. NZCB will continue to have representation on the SRG. The third meeting is scheduled for Thursday 20 July in Wellington.
NZCB representative: Industry Pathways and Apprenticeship Manager Nick Matthews
through invited workshop attendance with BRANZ and MBIE in Wellington last October.
NZCB representative: Chief Executive Malcolm Fleming
Periodically we update New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) suite of building contracts to ensure they remain stateof-the-art. Here is a summary of the forthcoming changes. These changes don’t take effect until 24 August 2023.
1. When charging on the achievement of milestones or defined stages of completion, you can issue an invoice when you have practically completed that stage.
2. The contract is consistent with the new process for guarantee applications. It simply identifies whether the Owner wants a guarantee, and if so, who is going to notify Halo Guarantees Limited.
3. A lot of the definitions are tidied up.
4. The Builder’s personnel don’t have to work overtime or weekends if they choose not to, and they can take reasonable holidays.
5. You don’t have to charge labour at cost plus markup. You can add the markup to the rates you charge your staff out at.
6. You are not prohibited from passing on cost fluctuations merely because you could have foreseen them or it was possible to predict that they would happen.
7. You can still adjust the price for a variation even if the owner only approves it after you have already done it.
8. If building work or materials that were part of the original scope of work turn out to be much greater or more complex than expected (for example, site conditions, asbestos or other contaminants, or hidden decay), then the additional work or materials can be treated as a variation.
9. The deposit does not need to be “held” by the builder. It can be spent immediately. It simply buys the Owner a credit against the final invoice, and a partial refund if it exceeds the final invoice.
10. Adjustments for provisional sums and variations can be invoiced as soon as the relevant work is done.
11. Previously the Builder was required to start work as soon as the contract was signed, the deposit was paid, and the consents were issued. Now there are a couple of other requirements – the Owner must be ready to start, and the Builder needs to have made sufficient headway on its other projects to be good to go.
12. However, if either party isn’t ready to start by within three months of signing the contract, the other party can cancel.
13. The Building Act requires a residential building contract to state the “expected” start and completion dates, but it doesn’t say what happens if they aren’t achieved. The contracts now make it clear that “expected” simply means anticipated, not fixed or guaranteed.
14. Extensions of time are now available for all natural disasters, delays by the owner’s designers or other consultants, unforeseen physical conditions like site conditions, asbestos or other contaminants or hidden decay, and unavailability of subcontractors.
15. A glitch in the contract documents that ends up costing the builder extra, can be claimed as a variation even if the Builder could have detected it at the time of contracting.
16. If the Builder needs access to the building site from land or airspace belonging to a third party, the Builder must explore the options with the Owner, and the Owner must then make the necessary arrangements. Any extra costs incurred by the Builder as a result can be claimed as a variation, and the Owner is responsible for any damage or inconvenience to the third party provided the Builder takes reasonable care.
17. When the building work is damaged by an event that was covered by the contract works insurance, the Owner must pay the Builder for the restoration work irrespective of whether the insurance proceeds were sufficient, or the insurance company is resisting the claim or delaying payment.
18. Where the Owner wants possession prior to practical completion, the Builder can refuse, or can insist on the full contract price being paid first. If the Owner genuinely disputes any part of that price, the Builder can agree to early possession pending the resolution of the dispute, on the condition that the Owner is actively engaging in the disputeresolution process and the Owner provides security for payment of any unpaid or disputed amounts.
19. On practical completion the Builder must provide all reasonable assistance to the Owner to enable a Code Compliance Certificate (CCC) to be obtained. The contracts now emphasise that the Builder is bound by this obligation, and the Owner can’t make payment of any part of the final contract price conditional on CCC being issued first.
20. Previously there was some confusion about the deposit being “forfeited” when the Owner was in default. Now the contracts make it clear that the deposit isn’t confiscated as a penalty –the Builder simply deducts from it any amounts that the Owner owes the Builder.
21. If either party cancels the contract, then the Builder is entitled to be reimbursed for all costs or losses that the Builder can’t bring to an end immediately, including the hire of scaffolding, fencing, toilets, rubbish receptacles, generators or other plant and equipment, the purchase of building materials or prefabricated components, and subcontractor commitments.
22. Under the NZCB contracts, allegations of defective workmanship or materials are resolved in an extremely fast and cost-effective manner. They are simply referred to a jointly-appointed, independent building surveyor who interviews both parties, conducts a site inspection, and issues a ruling which must be complied with.
Many Owners resist this process, presumably because it will result in an outcome that is less advantageous to them than them simply not paying the Builder’s final invoice. Consequently, they frequently refuse to agree on the appointment of a building surveyor. In anticipation of that, the choice of building surveyor used to be referred to the NZ Institute of Building Surveyors, or the Building Officers Institute of New Zealand.
Those two organisations now refuse to make those appointments. Consequently, the contracts now provide that the Builder will nominate three building surveyors, and if the Owner doesn’t select one of them then the Builder will decide which one will be appointed.
23. The contracts used to provide that if the Owner disputes the Builder’s entitlement to a payment, and the disputed amount is greater than NZ$10,000, then the Owner must pay the disputed amount into trust. This is to ensure that both parties (not only the Builder) are deprived of the money, so both parties have an equal incentive to resolve the dispute. The minimum NZ$10,000 requirement has now been dropped, so the requirement now applies to any disputed amount.
24. To cater for the possibility that the money isn’t really paid into trust, or is paid in and then later secretly released, the Owner must get the trustee to promptly acknowledge in writing to the Builder that it is aware of and will abide by these requirements, and confirm the amount of the funds held.
25. If either party is prevented from complying with its obligations by some cause beyond that party’s reasonable control (this is known as a force majeure event) then they are excused until they can overcome the problem. Those causes now specifically include a pandemic. And the fact that the Builder could have anticipated any of those causes happening, is now irrelevant.
26. The contract clarifies how the Halo 10-Year Residential Guarantee works. It records that at the time the building contract is signed, the Builder is a NZCB member and Halo Guarantees Ltd is a subsidiary of NZCB. That means that the Owner can apply for a guarantee. If the Owner expresses an interest and the project appears to comply with the criteria for a guarantee, Halo Guarantees Ltd will email the Builder and the Owner with a link to the Guarantee application webform.
Those are the main improvements, and you will find them incorporated into all the contracts – including Small Works, Preliminary Services, Portable Buildings, and Spec Builds –although the precise wording may vary from contract to contract.
Since joining the Halo Guarantees Limited (HGL) team in August last year, I’m pleased to share we have made solid progress towards HGL becoming a fully self-sustaining business; future proofing the Halo 10-Year Residential Guarantee for New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) and its members’ clients.
H Backlogs have been cleared, a new cloud-based technology system has been implemented, and robust processes have been defined and put into practice. This has resulted in a substantial increase in the number of Guarantees being issued each month.
H A new actuary has been appointed, and claims reserving increased from 25% of net revenue to 64.4%. We now have over $750,000 reserved to pay claims compared to less than $100,000 last August. This is steadily increasing in proportion to our revenue.
H New pricing was implemented from 1 June 2023 to ensure we collect adequate income for our Guarantee risk exposure.
H An in-house Claims process has been documented and established.
H Financial projections are positive with the company expected to become profitable by 2024.
H The business was recapitalised in July, meaning the balance sheet now supports all current and future Guarantee liabilities.
H A fit for purpose investment strategy was implemented in June to grow premium and claims reserves to help achieve long term profitability.
H The Halo Guarantee is not insurance, which is essentially a contract that pays out to the insured on the occurrence of an event, i.e., an insurance contract is a “first response”. Instead, through the Guarantee, HGL acts as guarantor to homeowners over members’ statutory warranties to clients under the Building and Consumer Guarantees Acts. HGL will only ever pay a claim if you have delivered defective work under the contract and have failed to meet your statutory obligations to your clients to put it right. Put simply, the Guarantee is not the first response; you are.
H The Guarantee is for the sole benefit of homeowners should you fail to meet your obligations to rectify materials and/or workmanship defects (first two years only) or structural defects (full 10 years).
H The Guarantee provides financial peace of mind for clients that HGL stands behind you and acts as a point of difference for you as a NZCB member with exclusive access to a marketleading building guarantee.
H Your role in the application process is to offer the Guarantee and apply on behalf of the homeowner and pass on the Guarantee
fees to us. You are not a party to the Guarantee contract (just as HGL is not a party to the building contract), but you play an important part in its offer and acceptance by the homeowner.
At the time of writing, we have 23 claims registered, with five closed and 18 open. One claim has been accepted so far with an estimated $13,000 total cost to be paid from the claims reserve. Other claims are still in process with homeowners and members.
With the sharp increase in the number of Guarantees issued, we will at some point see a corresponding increase in the number of potential claims notified to us. Ultimately, this is what HGL is here for: to fix covered defects for the homeowner should members fail to do so for any reason.
The claims process is designed to provide members with plenty of opportunity to ‘do the right thing’, because that is the best possible outcome for all concerned. However, it is critical that HGL always supports and upholds the integrity, credibility, and reputation of NZCB and its members, and it’s at claim time where the rubber meets the road. Where individual members fail to meet their obligations, HGL must come through as promised. We will always take a fair and balanced approach to claims, but where a member is in the wrong, we will act swiftly and decisively in the best interests of our customer, the homeowner, to put things right for them.
This also means we must take a ‘zero tolerance’ approach with members who don’t uphold NZCB’s values and expectations as the leading residential builders’ association in New Zealand. This is why, if HGL steps in to meet a members’ obligations for them, we will make no apology for taking one or more of the following actions:
H Refer the member to NZCB for a review of membership eligibility.
H Refuse to offer a Halo Guarantee on future projects that the member is involved with.
H Hold the member liable for our claims costs and seek recovery from them.
It’s fair to say that the current application process could be better. NZCB Toolshed applications come through sometimes before the homeowner is ready to apply, we don’t receive all the information we need, and it can create more admin than we all need.
We are moving to a more proactive online submission process. If you use the NZCB Toolshed building contracts, you will select whether the homeowner wants to apply for a Guarantee or not as you do currently. If you select “yes”, you will receive an email link to a pre-populated online application, which you can then complete and submit when you are ready to start the project.
If you’re using a hard copy NZCB contract or a non-NZCB contract, you will find the link to the application where the PDF application form currently lives. You simply need to complete and submit the online form.
We are hoping to “go live’’ by late August once our developer has completed a few remaining fixes for us. We’ll let you know when it’s ready to go.
As mentioned in the June/July magazine, a full product refresh is underway to amend and update the Guarantee to ensure it remains fit for purpose and is clearly understood by homeowners and NZCB members. This is expected to be completed by November and we’ll keep you updated between now and then.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly or get in touch with the team on 0800 141 490 or hello@halo.nz. We’re here to help!
David Lee Halo Guarantees Limited Chief Executive
˺ Seismic ETA tested C1/C2
˺ Fast curing - cures down to -10°C (when material is preconditioned to 23°C)
˺ 300ml cartridge, can be used with standard application guns
˺ Same static mixer as Sika AnchorFix®-1
˺ Suitable for cracked and uncracked concrete
˺ Styrene-free, VOC-compliant and odourless
˺ Non-sag, may be applied overhead
˺ Cures in dry, damp or flooded holes
Instore soon! 0800
Below you will find an update on the performance of the New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) Advertising Levy budget. This digital report highlights our Google Adverts, Facebook, Instagram, and Programmatic Spending for May 2023.
MOM = Month on Month. The comparison of data from one month to the previous month.
Overall another great month with 20% of all website visitors converting across one of our key goals.
Highlights include:
• Membership Recruitment – May shows a +60% increase in Click Through Rate (CTR) and 20% increase in enquiries MOM
• Google advertising (homeowner clicks) up 11% MOM
• The number of homeowner requests for members’ phone numbers is +19% MOM
• ‘Find a Builder’ search conversions +14% MOM
• NZCB website visitors/users +5% MOM
• Average time spent on website +16% MOM
Karla Farrar General Manager –Marketing and Services
Here is an update on what the teams at the New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) National Support Office have been working on. Should you require any further information about what has been keeping us busy, please contact the respective Team Manager using the contact details below.
Finance Team
Manager Sandra Kennerley | 021 566 224 | sandra@nzcb.nz
• Accounts administration as per normal.
• Work on updating resignations.
• Clearing outstanding accounts.
• Completion of quarterly accounts.
• Implementation of new Advertising Levy invoice process.
Marketing and Membership Services Team
Manager Karla Farrar | 021 906 234 | karla@nzcb.nz
• NZCB Conference & Expo 2023 in Christchurch was a very successful event. Check out pages 40 to 43 for a wrap-up.
• NZCB Conference and Expo 2023; debrief, market research being collated to help with the planning for 2024.
• NZCB advertising; new campaigns, including homeowner and member recruitment.
• NZCB 25th Birthday; production under way.
• Apprentice Network New Member Packs; assistance with development.
• InHouse Magazine; content sourced, collated, and collected for this issue.
• NZCB News, Education, and Deals and Benefits; monthly email newsletter preparation, planning and delivery.
• New NZCB membership renewal packs to be designed for 2023.
• Revere Volume 7; submissions closed, articles and photographs complied, content proofed, finalised, printed and distributed.
• Certified Plans; market research is underway to improve the product.
• NSO Building Your Business Workshops planning.
• Strategic Partnership; renewals and growth plan development.
• NZCB Toolshed improvements; new online membership applications, planning, assistance, and execution.
• Annual review of Affinity Partnerships and Free Helplines, including a new Affinity Partner signed up.
• National Partnerships; renewals and two new Partners signed up.
• Member engagement material; planning, developed, and in the final stages of testing.
• 24th Members’ Only AGM preparation and planning
• Hawke’s Bay Charity Build; assistance with development and communications.
• Waikato Golf Day; assistance with development and communications.
• BuildNZ expo; communications and attendance.
• Support of Territory Managers for new NZCB Presidents.
• 25-Year Parliament Dinner; communications for and preparation of presentation and video for dinner.
• NZCB public facing website; research has been completed, new wire framing has begun and new SEO is about to be implemented. Next stage – new design, then the build!
• NZCB Building Contracts are being updated. The next stage is to update the contracts on the Toolshed and do online testing. The launch and communications of the new changes will be released at the end of July/early August.
• NZCB Employment Contracts are currently being reviewed.
Membership and Education Team
Manager Shane Ririnui | 021 906 489 | shane@nzcb.nz
Customer Liaison
• Ongoing homeowner enquiry is steady with very few elevating to a formal complaint.
• The nature of the enquiries are contract implementation or client management.
New Membership Coordinator
• Good influx of new membership applications in the last month.
• Coming up to the review of Supplementary Membership members maintaining their obligations for membership.
• Experiencing a steady number of company changes.
Territory Managers
• Regional activity is picking up again.
• Managing the waves of new member enquiry as well as member resignations.
• Supporting key industry partners on their initiatives e.g., ITM LBP Day events.
Apprenticeship Support Team
Manager Nick Matthews | 021 906 483 | nick@nzcb.nz
• NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM National Final; media, sponsorship, coordination, post event administration.
• NZCB Apprentice Network; presenting at conference, official launch to membership. Securing sponsorship agreements, Industry Partnership with Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills & Technology.
• NZCB Apprentice Trust; the redevelopment of the Apprenticeship Scholarship Trust (AST Trust).
• Development of Pilot Course; Train the Trainer, in conjunction with Vertical Horizonz New Zealand.
• National Advisory Group – Carpentry; meeting in Wellington.
• Waihanga Ara Rau – On-Site Strategic Reference Group; meeting online.
We are thrilled to introduce Kathryn Wright, the newest member of the Finance team.
Kathryn has taken on the role of Accounts Administrator and will be based in the NZCB Wellington office. She comes with a strong background in finance and administration and will be looking after the payments for NZCB as well as liaising with NZCB Regional Committees and processing payments for the online shop orders.
Kathryn’s hours are from 8:00am to 4:00pm from Monday to Wednesday, and from 8:00am to 12:00pm on Thursday and Friday. If you need to get hold of Kathryn, her email is: kathryn@nzcb.nz.
As a New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) member, you have access to Fisher & Paykel and Haier appliances at very competitive prices. We deal directly with Fisher & Paykel Head Office to ensure you get the best deal.
How do I place an order?
Placing an order is simple – email me with the:
• item code(s)
To view the full range of appliances available from Fisher & Paykel, visit www.fisherpaykel.com/nz.html.
For Haier, visit www.haier.co.nz.
When you find what you are looking for, take note of the product code and email me (Kirsty) at the NZCB National Support Office. I will come back to you with a price, availability and expected delivery date(s) for the product(s).
• a delivery address
• contact person and their phone number for delivery. An invoice will be emailed to you, and payment is required in full before your order can be placed. When your order has been placed, and confirmation of this received from Fisher & Paykel, I will let you know and update you with an estimated delivery date.
It’s that simple!
Got a question or need a price? Email me kirsty@nzcb.nz
Kirsty Armstrong NZCB Membership Benefits Coordinator
Designed and published by NZCB, Revere magazine celebrates and displays some of New Zealand’s most inspiring homes built by NZCB members.
Revere is a magazine to be proud of as well as a great sales tool. Those members that successfully contribute to Revere will each receive 20 complimentary copies per submission along with a digital file of all professional photographs taken, an electronic copy of their article(s) and, also become eligible to use the ‘Revere Accredited’ logo.
To add to the value and excitement of Revere, all members that contribute to this magazine will have access to the ‘Revere Accredited’ logo. This gold standard logo is available to current and past contributors of Revere further promoting recognition of our members involvement in this magazine, in honour of their craftsmanship work ethic and quality as some of the industry’s best in the business. The Revere logo can be included on all company collateral including your vehicles to further promote the members business.
architects, lawyers, various media outlets and offices of influence as well as with various other magazines. It is also electronically posted onto the well-known websites, Houzz and Issuu, reaching over 200,000 people.
I’ll make it easy for you! All you need to do is complete an application form and submit it to myself at the National Support Office. I will organise a professional copywriter to write an article about your project and a professional photographer to come to site to complete the photography.
“Alex and I were really proud of our renovation in Roseneath. The view was lovely, and the finished product we had helped to create with everyone putting in their best work deserved a larger audience than just the owner! We had always enjoyed looking through Revere, and felt that this project had enough calibre to fit in. It was our first time being involved in the publication, and we found the process easy and straightforward. Julie communicated and scheduled efficiently every step of the way, and the photographer and copywriter were very engaging and easy to talk to. We are pleased with the end product and wouldn’t hesitate to present another renovation project.”
Distribution of Revere is far and wide to our target audience, the homeowner. Over 10,000 printed copies are circulated nationwide to our members, partners, Air New Zealand Koru lounges,
Niamh Short & Alex Cartmell-Gollan, Directors Windy City Builders Limited
Such a publication is a large financial undertaking and does require some financial support from those NZCB members submitting successful material along with a limited number of merchants/national partners that may also contribute to the magazine.
A two-page submission is $1500+gst and four pages $2750+gst.
find Revere magazine a great tool to hand out to people at our Home shows, as not only does it showcase our work it is also a great conversation starter.”
Tony Hodson, Director EBUILD Limited
“This was the first time we have worked with the Revere team and it has been a really positive process with great communication throughout. Julie and the team at NZCB were patient and respectful to work with and helped to achieve an outcome we can all be proud of. We look forward to Volume 7 of Revere coming out as both a celebration of what we do and a potential marketing tool for prospective clients.”
Julie Thomas NZCB Revere Magazine Editor and Project Coordinator
“We
Ryan Seath, Director LOCHRYAN Builders Limited
Timber company Abodo has showcased three stylish, low budget homes in Cardrona, Wānaka, known to be one of New Zealand’s most expensive places to build.
Built for around $3500/sqm, these Homestar 7 houses are highly insulated with wool, and feature New Zealand grown natural materials such Bremworth carpets, and Abodo’s own exterior and interior timbers. Local experts indicated a minimum budget of $5000-6000/sqm would be required to complete the builds.
Abodo partnered with FLiP Healthy Homes to have the prefabricated houses built offsite in Christchurch and trucked to site, near the iconic Cardrona Hotel.
These dual-purpose homes not only serve as a showcase of Abodo products but are available for Air BNB stays –giving visitors a taste of what can be achieved with locally sourced materials and carefully crafted design. Each of the three homes feature a different suite of timbers, profiles and finishes – from a dark and
Introducing Gennaro™ & Amedeo™, the latest additions to the HomePlus ClosetPro® wardrobe organiser range. Designed to complement and enhance the functionality of a wardrobe, these accessories offer a range of features to revolutionise storage.
Amedeo is compatible with all ClosetPro melamine wardrobe systems and includes options such as racks for belts, pants, scarf and ties, extendable valet rods, linen shelves, shelf fences, coat hangers, and a new Multifunction Floating Desk.
Amedeo brings incredible convenience to a walk-in or reach-in wardrobe.
Gennaro, the premium range of modular accessories, is specifically designed to match the Ultra 550™ wardrobe system. This versatile range includes a hidden jewellery drawer, extendable and slideout shoes, scarf, pant and tie racks, shoe or clothes baskets, and a stylish rotating mirror. Each accessory can be adjusted to suit unique needs, ensuring a truly bespoke wardrobe solution.
Easy to install and proudly designed in New Zealand, Gennaro & Amedeo provide the ultimate organisation and storage solutions, elevating the functionality and aesthetics of wardrobe space. Upgrade your ClosetPro system to enjoy a wardrobe that maximises space and adds a touch of elegance and sophistication to your home. Please contact HomePlus for more information at specify@homeplus.co.nz
moody aesthetic through to an alpine, almost Scandi feel.
A combination of sixteen timber profiles in six different finishes were used throughout the villas, which are showcased through the exterior claddings, decking, and post and rail fencing – along with the interior feature walls, ceiling linings and kitchen joinery.
For more information visit www.abodo.co.nz
We’re the go-to copywriters for businesses big and small across New Zealand (and beyond!) including New Zealand Certified Builders.
If your website needs a refresh, we’ll sort you out with fresh, professional content that attracts more of your ideal clients.
We’ve been writing for the construction industry for 10+ years, including website content, blog articles, marketing material, and more! By getting to know you and your business, we’ll craft words that reflect your special offering and connect to your audience. We also include keywords to help boost your Google ranking.
Let’s talk! Sarah Bunker on 022 037 4700 or sarah@awaywithwords.co.nz
With lower sheen finishes growing in popularity, the Resene technical team have formulated a new waterborne option for those after a flatter style finish on exterior surfaces.
New Resene Lumbersider Matt is designed for exterior walls, weatherboards and landscaping elements and is initially available in a selected range of colours, including Resene CoolColour options to help reflect more heat. The waterborne formula will help protect projects against whatever Mother Nature brings, while bringing them into the matt exterior finishes trend. Available from Resene ColorShops and selected resellers.
For a low sheen finish, use Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen.
For more information, visit www.resene.co.nz/colorshops.
Tradies are top of mind in everything CARTERS do, and they have some cool news to share.
For builders, CARTERS know keeping up with your Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) learning on top of the latest trade news can be a struggle. To make life easier they’re excited to announce that the CARTERS Trade Leader is now online.
Build your knowledge and stay up to date with the latest news and code changes. Whether you’ve been rained off, are taking five or the numbers don’t add up right, CARTERS Trade Leader is there to support you and is now just a click away.
To take a look or subscribe today visit www.tradeleader.carters.co.nz
Since 2014 Cabjaks have adopted a modular approach to designing and manufacturing kitchens, laundries, wardrobes and benchtops. This means that while each of our kitchens is unique to the home it’s designed for, the core components of that kitchen are standardised.
The benefits are numerous:
• Being modular means that we can manufacture the components that we need in advance of your order coming in. This means:
Our pricing is at a level that is rarely matched in the market.
– Our production lead time is days, not weeks.
Replacement doors, drawers and hardware can be despatched within hours.
We can provide a 10-year warranty on all of our products.
• Full online drag-and-drop design and pricing means you can get a price on the spot, save your designs in your account and place your orders exactly when needed.
We manufacture using 100% New Zealand made board and deliver nationwide. So, in these times where every dollar counts, it’s worth getting a second opinion on your kitchen design and pricing, and as a NZCB member, you will enjoy exclusive pricing. Check out our planners and register your NZCB membership with us at www.cabjaks.co.nz or email info@cabjaks.co.nz.
Create a New York loft aesthetic with the CS LoftDoor, a glazed sliding door essential for creating a strong industrial look.
The CS LoftDoor system is manufactured from high quality aluminium extrusions with horizontal and vertical dividers. The elegant slender profiles create a minimalist glass door perfect for modern or industrial spaces.
Features:
• Quality construction allows the doors to be manufactured to large sizes.
• Suitable for cavity slider or surface sliding doors.
• All aluminium components are screwed together for strength and reliability.
• Can be fitted with a flush pull handle if required.
• Create the appearance of a steel door without the technical drawbacks.
• Low maintenance.
For more information visit www.cavitysliders.co.nz/products/ door-leaves/loft-door
In recent years, the trades and construction sector in New Zealand has experienced a surge in activity driven by pent-up demand and low interest rates following the initial COVID-19 lockdowns.
However, as we face increasing inflation, rising interest rates, and a downturn in house prices, it’s important for trades business owners to prepare for more challenging times ahead. To help you navigate through these uncertainties, we’ve compiled our top tips for successfully managing your trades business.
Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business, and it remains the number one reason why businesses fail. It’s crucial to focus on building up reserves to weather the storm ahead. Aim to have a cash reserve that covers several months’ worth of expenses. Consider holding off on big purchases, and instead explore the possibility of selling under-utilised assets. Additionally, ensure that you collect payments from clients on time, manage expenses carefully, and keep a close eye on your bottom line.
Take the time to review your services and customer segments to identify those that generate the best margins and offer a positive outlook. By doing so, you can make informed decisions about where to allocate your resources. Reduce or eliminate lower-margin offerings and consider diversifying into new revenue streams that align with your strengths.
Develop a capacity-based budget that outlines various scenarios based on your available resources. This will help you visualise the impact of poor, average, and strong performance. Identify the key levers that can influence each scenario and determine the trigger points that require decisive action. Set key performance indicators (KPIs), such as gross profit percentage, net profit percentage, and productive hours, to track your progress. Regularly monitor your performance on a weekly and monthly basis to stay on top of your productivity, workflow, financials, and cash flow.
Keep a clear view of your workflow and future pipeline. Establish KPIs that define the ideal and minimum levels of work to ensure a steady stream of projects. Regularly update and monitor your pipeline, and as soon as it drops below the ideal levels, you know to proactively seek new opportunities and clients.
In challenging economic times, it’s essential to identify inefficiencies within your business. Review your structure, systems, and processes to uncover gaps and opportunities for streamlining operations and reducing costs. Embrace technology as a means to save time, cut expenses, and gain valuable insights for project management and decision-making.
Your workforce remains a top priority. With low unemployment and a competitive labour market, ensuring your trades staff are fairly compensated and aligned with market standards is crucial. Cultivate a values-based culture, communicate effectively, lead by example, and provide development and career opportunities to retain and attract talent.
Surround yourself with a reliable support network that you can trust through both good and challenging times. Seek early advice from business professionals and stay connected with industry groups and associations. Additionally, develop a clear plan that incorporates all your analysis and serves as a roadmap for your business’s growth over the next 3 to 5 years. Maintain a clear head, stay focused on your long-term goals, and remember that business goes through cycles.
Discover how our Tradies Academy program can propel your trades business to new heights. Visit our website at www.findex.co.nz/tradies-academy for more information and to learn how you can benefit from our specialised coaching and support.
In these challenging times, implementing these strategies and staying adaptable will help your trades business thrive. By taking proactive steps, monitoring performance, and making informed decisions, you can steer your business towards long-term success.
Jeffrey Broughton, Associate Partner in Consulting, Findex NZ Limited Findex is a leading integrated financial services provider, offering a comprehensive range of solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of businesses and individuals. With expertise in accounting, tax, business advisory, wealth management and insurance, we provide trusted advice, innovative strategies and exceptional service. www.findex.co.nz
While all reasonable care is taken in the preparation of the material in this document, to the extent allowed by legislation Findex accept no liability whatsoever for reliance on it. All opinions, conclusions, forecasts or recommendations are reasonably held at the time of compilation but are subject to change without notice. Findex assumes no obligation to update this material after it has been issued. You should seek professional advice before acting on any material. © Findex Group Limited 2023. All rights reserved.
Thermally efficient frames
High performance glass
Centrafix™ installation
We have moved from 3 climate zones to 6. Stage 2 came into effect on 1 May 2023 with the final stage starting on 1 November 2023. And why we are introducing ThermalHeart+® windows and doors. A range of code meeting, industry leading, thermally efficient products designed and made right here in New Zealand for exactly how we live.
The future is here. Ready now. Find out more at thermalheartplus.co.nz
Exclusively available through:
Imagine you are flying over the Pacific Ocean on an airliner, and the captain comes on the PA system. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that all our instruments are out. I have no idea where we are heading, how much fuel we have left or what height we are at. The good news is… we’re making great time!”
Scary? Hell, yeah!
The trouble is many owners run their businesses like this. They have no real idea of where they are going and whether they are heading into danger, but never-the-less, they remain eternally optimistic. As the business grows, the almost casual attitude becomes more serious, and you lie awake at night wondering how you will make payroll next week and whether clients will come through with those promised progress payments. You wouldn’t fly a plane like that, so why run your business like that?
What is needed is a dashboard of measures to show you how you are “flying” and if you need to make any course adjustments. So, what should be on that dashboard, and how do you measure it? Like most owners of construction trades businesses, you have probably never learnt much about the financial management of a business and run things on a combination of gut feel, checking the bank account regularly and your annual hour-long sit-down with your accountant. Your partner might look after the bookkeeping side of things, but he/she probably focuses on just processing transactions and making sure the GST and tax payments are made. A slightly higher level of “knowing your numbers” is needed in your business to help assure long-term success.
A dashboard is a type of feedback system. It gives you information in an easily understood form about what is happening in the systems of the vehicle you are in, be that a car or an aeroplane. An aeroplane will also have a forward-looking feedback system, commonly known as radar. Thinking about your business, what parts of your marketing, sales, operations, team and financial systems would be helpful to have a simple measure of performance? In some areas, it is extra helpful to have both a measure of what is going on right now and what the near future holds. You can delegate or outsource payroll processing, preparing invoices, paying the GST, etc., but the owner MUST know the key numbers in their business, daily, weekly or monthly. Not just once a year when you meet the accountant and ask, “how much tax do I have to pay?”
In my opinion, the biggest dial on your dashboard should be the Gross Profit rate or Gross Margin. That can be measured jobby-job and monthly and should be expressed as a % of Sales. This shows how efficient the business is in converting Revenue into Profit at the job pit face and should be compared with the target rate calculated in your annual budget. You do a rough budget each year for your business, right? If not, contact me at andy@tradescoach.co.nz, and we can do that together.
Other dials on your business dashboard should represent the other areas of your business and how you can measure whether things are on track. Imagine your business is much bigger than it is now. You are travelling overseas for four months and you check in with head office every couple of weeks to see how things are going. What specific measures would give you the information you need to see if things are running well….or running rough?
In your Sales department, you might like to know the Conversion Rate of leads into quotes and then quotes into sales. In the Marketing department, you might like to know the number of leads coming in and what Lead Generation tactics are working best. In your Operations department, apart from Gross Profit, you might want a measure of quality, such as inspection failure rate and maybe Work In Progress. In your Finance department, I would suggest average debtor days, free working capital and Net Profit. Not a huge list, but a range of relevant and up-to-date figures that give you a snapshot of where you are at and how you are trending over time.
There are many other measures available – it is just a matter of deciding the most relevant for your business. With this knowledge, you will increase your feelings of confidence and control and be able to support your decisions with some objective measures.
No more flying by the seat of your pants.
So, what are the key areas of your business that you would like to have more up to the minute information on? Do you have some SPECIFIC targets you are aiming at on an annual basis? Put some measuring processes in place and then get in the habit of looking at the numbers on a regular basis so you can better control your business and, therefore your life.
Need help to do this? Give me a call or email me at andy@tradescoach.co.nz and we can design a dashboard to help keep you on course.
If you’re operating a trades business without using job management software (JMS), you are missing out on potential profit, efficiency, and growth. The right software can have a transformative effect on your operations; while choosing and setting it up might seem like an overwhelming task, six months down the line you’ll be thankful you tackled it.
Here’s why you need to be taking advantage of JMS:
Time is money! Perhaps the main selling point for most job management software platforms for builders and tradespeople is the time that they save in administration tasks. Repetitive menial tasks can be done by the software, leaving only the ones that require your human brain. And even those are made easier!
ServiceM8 is a great example of this. We love how “paperwork” can be done on the fly from your iPad or iPhone because it only requires a few clicks here and there. The automation capabilities are fantastic, too – it’s ideal for booking reminders, follow-ups on invoices or quotes, and when you’re seeking feedback from your customers. Set it up and let it do the work for you.
Some tradespeople describe themselves as disorganised – and while that can be a quirky and loveable personality trait it’s not an asset in business. It means that you miss or forget things like customer follow-up calls, job leads, invoices, and opportunities for profit.
A good job management software will make sure that loose ends are tied up and nothing falls between the cracks. It pulls together the details and makes it easier to see what’s being overlooked.
Buildxact, for example, allows you to schedule each individual stage of a project and link stages to each other. This means that if any date is pulled forward or pushed out, the stages auto-adjust accordingly to keep your schedule on track.
Profit is the primary reason most of us went into business. It is something that every trade and construction business owner should be watching like a hawk. Good job management software allows you to track your incoming and outgoing costs with expert care.
Take NextMinute, a beautiful piece of construction software. This platform allows you to quote, set your labour rates and track staff time, then add in all your costs (subcontractor invoices, materials, variations etc.) and the invoice to make sure everything is captured and nothing is left behind.
Having all the information you need at your fingertips is ideal for accurate quoting, invoicing, and top-notch customer communications. With details collected into a job card (or equivalent), there’s no need to search for them across email inboxes, notebooks, text messages, and other locations.
Accuracy is important for good ongoing relationships with your clients. Keeping your quotes, communication, and invoices on point leaves no room for misunderstanding or disputes. It builds a reputation for reliability, which is important when it comes to keeping your sales pipeline full.
Clients using SimPRO, for example, benefit from a direct link with their main supplier that allows them to upload their price file directly into the system. You can see when they make price adjustments and have correct pricing at your fingertips wherever you are.
The benefits of job management software are clear. If you are ready to take advantage of them and harness the power for yourself, get in touch with Free Up! kellie@freeup.co.nz or www.freeup.co.nz.
The team are the experts in choosing, implementing, and optimising tech tools for trades businesses and can provide a roadmap to success with software for your unique operations.
FreeUp is a NZCB National Partner and tech advisor for builders – making the process quick and easy, from selecting the right software to setting up the system to training staff. FreeUp also operates our Technology and Software helpline for members. For more information visit www.freeup.co.nzSome tradespeople describe themselves as disorganised –and while that can be a quirky and loveable personality trait it’s not an asset in business.
We presented on the employee/contractor issue in a recent webinar and at conference, delivering the crucial but controversial message that businesses in the building and construction industry need to look closely at their contracting arrangements and consider whether these are fit for purpose, to manage the risk that contractors could successfully argue they are actually employees.
Despite the fact that the building and construction industry has traditionally predominantly operated on contractor arrangements, a number of cases in the Employment Court recently have held that workers engaged as contractors are really employees. This includes a 2021 decision, Barry v CI Builders Limited, which held Mr Barry, a building subcontractor who had been working in this role for three years, was actually an employee.
In summary, the Court found that Mr Barry was not operating a business on his own account but was providing a service to the company and working for it, and its interests, including because he:
• worked under the strict direction and control of the company;
• had no flexibility in terms of his work patterns;
• was integrated into the company’s operations;
• was unable to work for others as he worked 40 hours each week full-time and had little time or energy to work for others;
• did not accrue business goodwill as he didn’t deal with suppliers and customers directly; and
• did not invoice the company which was unlike others who did contract work for the company.
Where a worker successfully challenges their employment status, they then have access to all employee related entitlements including sick and other kinds of leave, holiday pay, minimum wage payments, for up to six years which is the claim limitation period, and personal grievance claim rights. Penalties may also apply.
The line of cases finding workers are really employees includes taxi drivers and the courier industry, dominated by owner/ driver arrangements. The most recent case held Uber drivers are employees, with that decision being challenged in the Court of Appeal.
In addition, the Government is reviewing contractor relationships, with a view to setting minimum entitlements for these, as happens with employment relationships. Aside from the risk of employment claims, the Inland Revenue Department may determine that a contractor is working as an employee and that their income should have been taxed accordingly. Penalties may apply here too.
What this means is that all businesses using contractor and subcontractor arrangements should review these to make sure, as far as possible, they’re not next in line for a legal challenge.
Employees have minimum employment rights and entitlements under employment laws such as the Employment Relations Act 2000, Minimum Wage Act 1983, and the Holidays Act 2003. These laws entitle employees to minimum employment entitlements, including being paid at least the minimum wage, receiving holiday and leave entitlements, and require employees to have a written employment agreement.
A contractor has no rights or entitlement under employment laws. This means that they will not be entitled to annual holidays or sick leave and do not have the ability to bring a personal grievance against.
Both employees and contractors have rights and responsibilities under health and safety laws, and there have been a number of WorkSafe prosecutions recently finding that contractors must be protected and informed of health and safety risks in the same way as employees on multi-PCBU sites.
Where a contracting agreement is challenged, the ‘real nature of the relationship’ will be determined by the Court, taking into account what the agreement says, and the legal tests to determine the parties’ intention, degree of control over the worker, their integration to the business, and the fundamental or economic reality of the arrangement.
The Court examines the written agreement and any other relevant information to determine the parties’ intention for their relationship when it started, that is, whether this was to be an employeeemployer or contractor.
The Government is reviewing contractor relationships, with a view to setting minimum entitlements for these, as happens with employment relationships.
The Court examines the degree of control the principal has over the worker’s hours, availability, and supervision. Contractors would have autonomy in how they undertake their duties
The integration test examines how the worker is integrated into the work environment or business, for example, are they:
• ‘Part and parcel’ of the company;
• Using their own equipment and tools?
• Required to attend company events?
• Paid on delivering results/completing work or by a set payment per work period?
• Reimbursed for work related expenses?
This test explores whether the worker is in business for themselves, by looking at who has benefited economically from the relationship.
The Court’s consideration includes the following factors:
• Who controls the way the work is performed, so far as there is a scope for that control?
• Is the worker integrated into the company?
• Is the worker required to wear a uniform and/or display material that associates them with the company?
• Does the worker supply and maintain any tools or equipment?
• Is the worker paid according to task completion, rather than receiving payment based on time worked?
• Does the worker provide an invoice for payment?
• Does the worker bear any risk of loss, or conversely have any chance of making a profit from the job?
• Is the worker free to work for others and do they really have a chance to do this?
• Can the worker subcontract the work or delegate performance to others?
• Is tax deducted from the workers’ pay on payment?
• Who provides the tools and equipment?
• Does any business goodwill accrue, and to who?
• Does the worker receive paid holidays or sick leave?
• Can the worker set their own hours and take leave when they want to?
To make sure your contractor arrangements meet the tests above, we recommend you:
• Consider the tests and how they fit with your needs – if they don’t fit, consider moving to an employment agreement
• Use the right agreement
• Allow contractors to work for other people and be careful not to have contractors working full time on an ongoing basis so that they really have the opportunity to do this
• Let the contractor determine their hours of work – not you
• Get the contractor to invoice you once a job is completed
• Be clear that the contractor does not receive any entitlements under the Employment Relations Act 2000 or Holidays Act 2003, e.g. sick leave, annual leave
• Ensure the contractor uses their own tools, vehicles, materials etc.
• Engage contractors through their company not as individuals
• Allow the contractor to delegate work to its employees/ contractors
The case examples above highlight that there are risks with engaging someone as an independent contractor in that the nature of the relationship can be challenged regardless of what the agreement says.
If a contractor succeeds in arguing they are an employee, they become entitled to minimum employment rights including potentially significant backpay for leave and holidays.
Building and construction employers are well advised to review their contractual arrangements and make sure these fit the relationships they have with workers, so that they can stand up to challenge.
Please contact us on 0800 354 821, if you would like us to review the contracts and agreements you currently have or intend to offer.
Aside from the risk of employment claims, the Inland Revenue Department may determine that a contractor is working as an employee and that their income should have been taxed accordingly.
I’m sure the younger generation on your job sites will be all over TikTok, and believe this platform is the best for marketing in the 21st century. However, our recent digital audit of the New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) homeowner audience paints a different picture.
While there is a need for digital marketing specialists, there’s also still room for a marketing generalist – someone who can do more than just digital marketing. Because if you ask yourself: are you influenced by digital marketing alone? Most likely the answer will be no – because it’s often a mix of digital and print that impacts our decision making.
Print, such as flyers, magazine adverts, or direct mail can help generate leads and sales by reaching potential customers already interested in your product or service. For example, print can help reach people who have visited your website but haven’t booked a job with you yet. Print can also help attract new customers who have never heard of your business.
The latest RMC Industry insights report on brand equity and market share shows that 74 per cent of market share growth can occur from running a print and digital marketing strategy. This means you should only throw some of your marketing budget into digital. I know I take notice of something posted to me that doesn’t look like a bill.
NZCB uses both a digital and print marketing approach and both generate leads.
Print mediums such as magazines still play a vital role in marketing. NZCB Revere magazine continues to grow in popularity. The female homeowner target audience, in particular, likes to research ideas from print. The latest research from HomeStyle magazine showed that 71% of their readers are female. So, don’t discount print advertising. Direct mail still has a place in building your brand and getting your name in front of your potential clients too.
I’m sure you are all getting immune to online advertising. It’s like the piles of junk mail you used to get in your letterbox 10+ years ago, but now you’re inundated with digital adverts in your social feeds.
Printed marketing material has a longer shelf life than other forms of digital media. Printed marketing can reach a wider audience over a longer period of time.
My recommendation is to put only some of your hard-earned marketing spend on digital, because it is now so cluttered and the speed at which people scroll is only getting faster.
Think quality over quantity!
1. Ask your existing clients for referrals: you can do this via email and follow up with a printed letter in a colourful envelope (so it doesn’t look like a bill). You could include your business card/ flyer for your clients to hand out to friends and family.
2. Test and measure small directory adverts in your local newspaper: your older clients still read these! The ‘no junk mail’ signs are still up, but many local newspapers still get delivered to local shops for distribution.
3. Send a ‘We’re in your neighbourhood’ postcard/flyer. Not everyone has the ‘no junk mail’ signs, so again, it is worth testing this method because digital printing is very cost-effective.
If you want to reach a particular group of people, wherever they may be, while keeping costs low, go with digital marketing. Doing so will also allow you to collect valuable information on your audience immediately to create even more effective marketing campaigns. However, there is still a place for print marketing. If you want to reach an older audience or a local audience, print marketing methods may be more productive and stand out more than digital marketing. Print still works!
Karla Farrar NZCB General Manager –Marketing and Services
Feel like you’re constantly forking out money? Keeping a tight rein on your expenses will help you ride out any market downturns. Don’t cut corners though; instead spend smarter to boost profitability and maintain good cash flow, without compromising on the quality of your work.
Outsourcing tasks like bookkeeping, accounting and marketing, can help you fill staff gaps without needing to pay full-time wages. You’ll get the experience and expertise of a professional, yet have the flexibility to expand and reduce their services as your business needs. Make sure to do your research though: ask around for recommendations, check qualifications and experience, and contact referees before you make a final decision.
You know you’re not getting value for money for your marketing spend if the cost is high and the excuses are flowing!
Your profit and loss statement outlines how much your business has spent and earned over a particular time period. Go over your expenses with a fine tooth comb and look for costs that are no longer necessary or can be reduced. Here are a few things to look out for:
Your business has probably changed and grown since you first negotiated contracts with your suppliers. If you’ve worked with the same supplier for several years and always pay your invoices on time, you’ll be in a good position to renegotiate for more favourable terms.
Technology helps streamline your processes so you spend less time on admin and have more time to focus on other areas of your business.
• A good accounting software, like Xero, helps you stay on top of the bookkeeping so you always have accurate financial information.
• Time tracking software makes it easy to keep detailed records of work hours, and will automatically calculate hours for payroll and invoicing clients.
• Managing payroll can be tough! A payroll software can make sure your team is paid accurately, keep HR records like sick and holiday leave, and ensure you’re meeting compliance requirements.
• A pricing software, like Builda Price, helps you quickly and accurately quote for jobs and then track projects so you can compare actual costs in real time.
• If you’re on-site all day, automate emails so you can follow up enquiries quickly. Set up an email to send to new prospective clients that showcases your previous builds and includes testimonials.
• Know where your leads are coming from. Always ask how people found you and keep doing more of the same.
• Stop paying for leads and Google Ads if they aren’t good quality or are low volume for the monthly expense. Get better value by promoting your business through local networks, community groups and social media.
• Weigh up the value you’re getting from your monthly marketing activities. Add one marketing strategy every three months so you can assess the results. Drop the services that don’t work and replace with new options.
• If you are spending $1000’s every month on advertising plus coaching, SEO and CRM, you’re probably doubling up. Get a second opinion.
• The time and effort you put into networking and fostering good business relationships can really pay dividends.
Every week, run a cash flow forecast looking 13 weeks ahead. You’ll be able to spot upcoming issues well in advance. This gives you plenty of time to take action through informed decisions, rather than scrambling once you’re in a cash flow hole. It’ll also help you plan for growth, such as securing a new property or buying plant equipment or vehicles.
The time and attention needed to reduce your overheads can seem overwhelming. Start with easy decisions, like cancelling subscriptions you don’t use anymore, and constantly review your finances. Every change you make will really add up over the long term and make your business more profitable.
Amanda Chisholm, Director, My Smart Office and National Partner of NZCB. Amanda runs a successful residential building company with her husband and uses her 20+ years’ experience in bookkeeping, administration, customer communication and sales to help builders manage their accounts and administration, increase revenue and gain time. www.mysmartoffice.co.nz or call Amanda on 021 886 120
Learn, read, listen & watch.
• LBP Codewords
• Industry news
• Apprentice skills
• Health & Safety
• Economics
• Insurance
• Legal & compliance
• Technology
• Tools & more!
We were interested to find out how confident NZCB members were feeling about their insurance cover and how often they were reviewing it, so we ran a short pulse survey at our stand.
86% of the survey respondents said they thought that they had the right level of insurance cover for their business assets such as tools, their vehicle, building supplies etc., while the remaining 14% didn’t know or weren’t sure. This was a very positive result.
Suffice to say, having the right level of cover is important, especially as the costs to replace your tools and other business assets has increased. If you do need to make a claim and your assets are insured for a lot less than what it costs to replace them then the shortfall will have to come out of your own pocket. Is it worth taking the risk, especially if you are looking at a loss of multiple tools in one event?
Your personal assets are just as important as your business ones, so we asked members when they last reviewed the sums insured for their house and contents cover.
24% hadn’t changed it for a couple of years and 14% didn’t know, while only 62% had reviewed the sums insured when the policy last renewed.
Kiwis are notoriously bad for being underinsured when it comes to their personal property. It stems from our “she’ll be right” culture.
Following this year’s terrible weather events, it has sadly become even more apparent how under insured people’s home and contents are.
Contents cover has also been a particular area of concern with many people underestimating the cost of replacing their belongings. Whilst losing all your contents in a single event seems unlikely, it can and does happen as we have unfortunately seen. Under-insurance is easily remedied; usually it costs less than might be imagined to increase your sum insured, and opting for a higher voluntary excess may assist with some premium relief to off-set the increase.
Although your policy is reviewed on an annual basis, we can update your sums insured at any time during the policy period and we are encouraging all our clients to thoroughly review their home and contents sums insured.
No one likes to talk about death or injury but is it something you need to think about, especially in an industry where accidents are likely to happen.
76% of our survey respondents have life and/or disability cover, which is fantastic, while the rest (24%) didn’t or were unsure.
If you are self-employed, and especially if you are the main breadwinner, not having income while you are injured or sick can be very stressful on you and your loved ones.
One of our clients talks about her own experience of this.
“My father was a self-employed builder who got mesothelioma (cancer caused by asbestos exposure). While he was sick his policy covered his lost income and expenses, and after he passed away it paid off the mortgage. This enabled my Mum to focus on his care and not be stressed about how she was going to pay for everything. As a self-employed business owner and a parent myself, I made it a priority to get similar cover for me and my husband through the ICIB Brokerweb Life & Health team. I hope I won’t need to use it like my parents did but it’s there if we do.”
Thanks to everyone who completed the survey. If you would like a no obligation review of your insurances give us a call on 0800 644 444.
Working together is key to any primary prevention system, which is why ACC is working with WorkSafe NZ to invest in and support key health and safety system partners.
These partners are taking a leadership role in addressing systemic issues within their sectors or industries. By doing this, they can create a transformative shift in the productivity, health, safety, and wellbeing performance of their sector.
“By working collaboratively, we improve the value of our contribution to making real, positive change for Kiwis,” says Virginia Burton-Konia, ACC’s Workplace Safety Manager.
“ACC enables the work and sectors that need it, and our partners provide peer-to-peer sharing and learning so businesses can put new, proven solutions in place.”
One of the best examples in the building sector is ACC’s partnership with Construction Health and Safety New Zealand (CHASNZ).
In December 2020, ACC began a five-year injury prevention partnership with CHASNZ. This enabled them to progress initiatives to support the construction sector to improve worker health, safety and wellbeing, while also improving business productivity. The Work Should Not Hurt programme is one of these initiatives.
CHASNZ’s goal is to ensure tradespeople enjoy long, pain-free careers and retire when they want to – not when forced to due to injury. The programme aims to change attitudes that preventable injuries like sprains and strains aren’t part of the job.
CHASNZ used their expertise to develop a practical ergonomics programme for the industry, which includes ‘Toolbox Talks’ workshops, easy-to-understand resources and guides, equipment trials and a website for major trades to understand their injury data. Since launching in April, Work Should Not Hurt has quickly gained momentum. CHASNZ programme manager and ergonomist Chris Polaczuk has held 20 workshops across the country upskilling tradespeople on health and safety and presenting at conferences and trade shows.
“With ACC’s support, we’re able to be a catalyst for change in small business,” Polaczuk says. “It’s the first time some of these trades, like brick and block laying, concrete services and flooring, have actually been looked at and supported. This partnership’s made it possible.”
Polaczuk says getting out on-site and meeting people face-to-face has been crucial in showing tradespeople just how important their wellbeing is to the industry.
“It’s made people aware that their pain and discomfort isn’t normal and that they aren’t alone,” he says.
“The tradies and their office staff are interested, engaged and grateful for the help, input and suggestions we give. But we don’t stop at one talk – we aim for a partnership where we work together to prevent these injuries.”
In addition to the collaboration with CHASNZ, ACC’s ‘Have a hmmm’ campaign shines a light on the impact injuries can have on people’s workmates, with the construction sector featuring prominently.
ACC data for the residential construction sector shows over half of the injury claims that lead to time off work, occur outside of the workplace. This is most likely to happen to those aged 20-29. Over the past five years, the average number of days off each year for a non-work injury was 85 compared to 116 days for a work-related injury.
The shoulder, knees, hand, and wrist are most injured outside of work, which have a big impact on a person’s ability to be at work. When an employee gets injured, it can have a significant impact – not just for them, but on teammates, staff morale and business productivity.
Employees can also worry about their personal finances and being a burden to their loved ones and co-workers.
ACC’s new online videos and resources, including a builderfocused video, encourage people to ‘Have a hmmm’ about what they do outside of work, and think about the impact their injuries can have on their workmates.
“The majority of injuries that lead to people needing time off work occur in people’s own time,” says James Whitaker, ACC Injury Prevention Programme Leader. “By staying injury free, Kiwis can keep doing what they love without putting unnecessary pressure on their workmates.”
“This is really important right now given how stretched people in the construction sector are.”
For more information, visit www.acc.co.nz.
Dry sandblasting, grinding, cutting, sanding, polishing, and drilling of silica-containing materials like concrete, rock, glass, asphalt, cement, and engineered stone are considered hazardous tasks in construction. This is because you create silica dust that is too small to settle. The dust floats around undetected in the air that you and those around you can breathe in.
Am I protected if I’m wearing a respirator?
The tiny silica dust particles can penetrate your respirator if you aren’t careful. Make sure your respirator has been fit-tested and isn’t worn over a beard. You must also have the correct filters, as silica dust is 100 times smaller than sand and can penetrate some filters.
Prevention sounds like a better option! What steps can I take?
Step 1: Understand what happens when you inhale silica dust. Thankfully, your lungs have built-in traps that catch most impurities and dust. The nose, windpipe, and air tubes are lined with mucus membranes. Dust that was not sneezed out sticks to the mucus and is coughed out, spat out, or swallowed.
But some respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust escapes these traps and is tiny enough to enter the lungs, where they cause irritation, inflammation, and scar tissue, even after silica dust exposure is stopped.
Step 2: Know the silica content of your construction materials and substitute for less hazardous materials
The higher the silica content of the material, the more silica dust is created. For instance, engineered stone’s extremely high silica content causes accelerated silicosis.
Stop exposure: the Australian Government is considering banning engineered stone, and New Zealand may follow suit. Why wait for them to ban it? Ban it yourself!
Lessen exposure: substitute high-silica-content materials for no/low-silica-content materials. For instance, substitute engineered stone with wood or natural stone. Examples of the silica content of some of your construction materials:
• Engineered stone: up to 92%
• Fibre-cement sheeting: 5-40%.
• Concrete and slate: 20-40%.
• Granite/natural stone: 25-60%.
• Silica contents of products like cement can be found in their Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
Damage to the lungs from silica dust and symptoms of disease may not appear for many years. Workers may not show any symptoms, even at the point of initial diagnosis, so prevention
and health monitoring is critical. Often workers are diagnosed during routine health monitoring, as chest X-rays may show scar tissue formation even if you are without symptoms. Silicosis symptoms may include a dry cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, fever, chest pain, and unexplained weight loss. Silicosis also increases your risk for other conditions like lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, kidney disease, and some auto-immune diseases.
Tell your doctor about your current or previous exposure to silica dust. Respiratory questionnaires, lung function tests, chest X-rays, and CT scans may be required to rule out silicosis. Health monitoring is necessary because early detection of silicosis before symptoms develop can motivate you to stop further exposure and improve your health outcome.
If you have been exposed to silica dust recently or in the past, even if you wore respirators and have no symptoms, you need routine health monitoring. Talk to your employer. Tell your doctor about your exposure. Engineered stone workers must see specialist occupational health doctors. Early detection is most important!
To further assist your health monitoring efforts, HazardCo has partnered with Habit Health which provides medical checks nationwide. They’re experienced in health monitoring for the construction industry, and their efficient, cost-effective service is discounted for HazardCo members.
Treatment is limited to relieving symptoms. For instance, oxygen therapy and bronchodilators will allow you to breathe more easily. Advanced silicosis requires lung transplants.
It’s important to understand that there are very likely specific requirements you need to meet to ensure you are appropriately managing the risks. WorkSafe has plenty of information available to learn more or you can also contact our friendly team of H&S Advisors on 0800 555 339.
“Great speakers, lovely venue. Great networking opportunities and good balance between content and time in the exhibition hall.”
“We are keen to bring more of the team next year, due to the wide range of topics.”
“Organised, good workshops and speakers, plenty of time to engage with exhibitors and people.”
NZCB AGM, Conference & Expo 2023 highlights continues...
It was 2019 when we last had our New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) AGM, Conference & Expo in Christchurch. I’d only been in my role for six months when I had to organise my first-ever conference of this size. The complexity of our event makes NZCB unique, which is why it has grown to become the fourth largest conference and expo in New Zealand. The size of the NZCB AGM, Conference & Expo makes it difficult to find a venue large enough to accommodate us. There is also the task of reserving enough beds for delegates near the venue. This event was even more challenging because we had only just completed the 2022 Conference & Expo in November. Obtaining sponsorship was hard, but our dedicated and loyal partners made the event a success, and we are forever grateful for your support. We had a record number of exhibitors – 83! The last time we were in Christchurch, we had 66.
Thursday 25 May
The sun was shining, which was a great start for the NZCB Factory Tour. We had three buses of NZCB members touring around Christchurch to visit Terra Lana wool products, Metro Performance Glass, Air Force Museum Hangar, and Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre. Everyone enjoyed the day and found the locations interesting. A big thank you to the NZCB members who volunteered to be the tour leaders for each bus; Warwick Leigh-James, Andy McRae, and Brent Chatterton.
The keynote sessions proved popular. The highlight was Sir Graham Henry, who had everyone glued to their seats. His Q&A was popular and the session ran over 30 minutes because no one wanted to leave.
MyHR sponsored the NZCB Administrations Lunch this year. It was a little nerve racking to see the room empty until we realised that most attendees were still listening to the keynote by Sir Graham Henry. The room filled up quickly soon after, and Sylvie Thrush from MyHR presented her session on ‘Wellbeing, Burnout and Stress Management’.
Friday 26 May
Day one of the conference started smoothly. The Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is architecturally stunning! A big thank you to all the members who assisted with the goodie bags and puffer vests; Richard Poff, Dan Gallagher, David Gunter, Sharon Angus, Warwick Leigh-James and Ian Chamberlain. Thank you to GIB® for supplying the members with the puffer vest and Carters for sponsoring the bag to carry them in.
The AGM ran on time, and NZCB Chairperson Nick Farrelly led the successful conference opening. It was nice to see Hon. Dr Megan Woods in person this year.
After lunch, Dr Anthony Hoete provided some forward-thinking ideas for solving New Zealand’s housing shortage, as well as disclosing very informative statistics on how the building market has changed significantly in the past 30 years, as well as insights into his experience working in the UK and Europe.
The last session of the day was with Geoff Nash of Brosnan. He gave a very motivational talk on Strategic Leadership, as well as shared his career journey.
“Environment that was extremely good to interact with people because of sound controlled building acoustics.”
“Great talks, good to see others in the industry and catch up with familiar faces from other parts of the country.”
At 5pm, the apprentices were busy with the Mitre 10 Great Apprentice Race. It was great to see the teamwork and beautiful creations made.
The Friday Night Mingler at the Air Force Museum also went well. It’s always a challenge to get 400 people from one location to another, but we managed to do this with nine bus loads and safely returned everyone by 10.30pm.
This year we had three Educational Streams; On-site Leadership, New To Business Leadership, and Business Leadership. The objective was to cater to our membership base’s different business sizes and experiences.
National’s Tim van der Molen did the official conference closing. It was touch and go as to whether Tim could attend after his farming accident several weeks prior, so thank you Tim for attending the NZCB AGM, Conference & Expo.
A big thank you to ITM for sponsoring the NZCB Apprentice Challenge in 2023 – and the awards dinner. The cost to put on such a dinner is extravagant and your support halved the cost for attendees.
Once again, we would like to thank all our sponsors; ITM, GIB®, Mitre 10, Carters, PlaceMakers, Bunnings Trade, MyHR, Waihanga Ara Rau, and Z Business. Without your help, the cost to our members would have been considerably more.
We will take time to digest your feedback and look forward to making improvements with the hope of seeing some new faces at Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre in 2024.
Thank
“There were lots of different topics and also chances to learn from the trade expo area as well. Got some good ‘gold nuggets’ to take away. “
New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) celebrated its 25th birthday in May, with a celebratory dinner in Parliament’s Great Hall. Hosted by the Minister for Building and Construction, Hon Dr Megan Woods, and supported by Carters, the event served to suitably mark the 25-year milestone. The guestlist for the dinner included members of the original NZCB Board, the NZCB Chairpersons and Chief Executives who have led the Association at various times, and those members whom the Association has recognised with the awards of Honorary and Life Membership.
describes as “those whose time is now” to represent all those who came before us, and those who come after us. This is just as true for NZCB as it is for the All Blacks.
“In 25 years’ time it will be 2048, and we want those sitting in the custodian seat in 2048 to be saying to the 2023 NZCB Governance and Management team, well done. Just as the team of 2023 is tonight saying well done to those involved in the earlier years of NZCB.”
Hon Dr Megan Woods set the scene for the evening by acknowledging the important contribution NZCB had made to the New Zealand construction sector; while speeches from current NZCB Chairperson Nick Farrelly, and former NZCB Chairperson Bob Monteith (2002–2004), provided a great summary of NZCB’s history, evoking many memories.
NZCB Chief Executive (CE), Malcolm Fleming performed the MC role for the evening and touched on the theme of custodianship and legacy. Key components of his commentary across the evening are reproduced below.
“Collectively, the invited members have shaped NZCB into the organisation it is today. A journey that has seen NZCB grow into an industry association representing 2,300 building businesses, and who in 2023, has a high profile with media and the regulator, and is fully engaged with construction sector stakeholders more broadly.
“Also in the room for the 25th dinner is the current NZCB Board and Management team, who are the current custodians of NZCB. Our job is to ensure that NZCB remains infused with the passion and energy that the previous governance and management teams devoted to the Association during their respective NZCB leadership tenures.
“There is a sense of custodianship that prevails in governance and management groups during ‘their time’ in charge of a membership organisation, more so than is felt with general businesses, and this is due to the deeply embedded sense of belonging that is the case with these types of entities. In my short 13-month tenure as the NZCB CE, it has become very clear to me that we have a backstory to be proud of, as well as an exciting future trajectory.
“James Kerr wrote an excellent book on the All Blacks titled Legacy, a central theme of which applies to the concept of custodianship, being that it is the job of the people that Kerr
Left to right: past NZCB/CBANZ Board Members, Honorary, Life, Foundation and 25-year members: Bob Monteith (Life, Honorary and past Board Chairperson), Richard Merrifield (Life, 25-Year and past Board Chairperson), Dave Whitehead (Honorary and past Board Member Director), Brent Chatterton (Honorary and past Board Chairperson), Brian Ludlow (Honorary, 25-Year and past Board Member Director) and Mark Dobbs (Life and past Board Member Director). Current NZCB Chief Executive Malcolm Fleming. Past CBANZ Chief Executive Officer Derek Baxter (left) and current NZCB Board Vice Chairperson Garry Nott (right). Left to right: NZCB 25-year member Colin Johnstone, 25-Year and Foundation member Darin Hammond with past NZCB Board Vice Chairperson Mike Hayward.Like you don’t have enough to do already.
Using Cabjaks online planners you can save heaps of time and money. Plus Cabjaks cabinets are delivered on-site fully assembled and ready to install.
It might just mean that you don’t feel like you are being dumped on all the time...
As a member of NZCB you get a super special deal as well. Scan here to register, select NZ Certified Builder or go to www.cabjaks.co.nz/accounts/register and we will send you an email with your exclusive discount code. 6 Echelon Place East Tamaki www.cabjaks.co.nz
Sometimes does it feel like you have to do everything for your clients?
The 2023 New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM saw 21 apprentices qualify for the National Final and assemble together in Christchurch over 25 – 27 May. As always, they rocked it!
and scored consistently high results across all assessments of the Apprentice Challenge. Alex received a prize package valued at $10k from ITM, the naming rights sponsor, and long-term supporter of the NZCB Apprentice Challenge. Congratulations to you Alex!
Second place was awarded to Jared Menzies (22) representing Tauranga Districts, a returning competitor from 2021. Jared is enrolled with Te Pūkenga – BCITO based in Tauranga and is employed by Paul James Builders Limited. Jared received a prize package valued at $7k thanks to the generous sponsorship of Milwaukee Tool New Zealand.
This year’s event saw another cohort of fantastic apprentices representing their regions, employers, and themselves with pride. Despite a quick seven-week turnaround from the regional heats to the National Final, every apprentice completed the compulsory pre-final homework assignments, including a CV, cover letter, and work portfolio for assessment from the judging panel.
The judging panel consisted of returning judge Derek Heard, Chair of the NZ Building Industry Federation, and two new judges; Jason McClintock, Carpentry Tutor at Te Pūkenga Toi Ohomai, and last year’s winner Joshua Welsh of Welsh Construction. The judges were impressed by the calibre of the top three place setters, but said it was evident early on in the assessment phase that one apprentice was ahead of his peers.
The winner of the 2023 NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM was Alex Erickson (22) representing Canterbury. Alex, an apprentice enrolled at Te Pūkenga – Ara Institute of Canterbury, and who is employed by Steve Brown Builders Limited, is a humble young man who quietly but confidently went about his work
Third place was awarded to Daniel Merwyn (22) representing Taupō. Dan is enrolled with Te Pūkenga – Toi Ohomai based in Taupō and is employed by Wade Construction Limited. Daniel received a prize package valued at $5k thanks to the generous sponsorship of Paslode New Zealand.
The Chairperson’s Personality Award was presented to Charlette Bone (37) representing Nelson Bays. Charlette is employed by Tasman Homes (Nelson) Limited and is an apprentice enrolled at Te Pūkenga – Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. Charlette received a prize package valued at $3k thanks to the generous sponsorship of Winstone Wallboards.
This year’s event received overwhelming sponsorship and support from many industry suppliers. Thanks and acknowledgement goes to ITM, Milwaukee Tool New Zealand, Paslode New Zealand, Winstone Wallboards, Comfortech Building Performance Solutions® (Pink Batts), Sika New Zealand, Bahco, Red Stag Timber, and PlaceMakers. NZCB is grateful to all sponsors for their support and commitment to the Apprentice Challenge. The combined prize package for the 2023 NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM was in excess of $100k, making this year’s event the biggest yet.
Proceeds from the sales of this year’s project, produced as part of the regional heats, were donated to KidsCan, a charity dedicated to supporting early childcare centres and children of families who are struggling. In total, $9750 was raised and presented to Chontelle Mosegi from KidsCan.
Left to right: Our winners; 3rd Daniel Merwyn, 1st Alex Erickson, 2nd Jared Menzies, Chairperson’s Personality Award Charlette Bone.
On the 25th anniversary of NZCB and in the eighth year I have been privileged to be part of the Apprentice Challenge, it was a personal highlight to reconnect with so many ex-winners and participants of the Challenge who attended conference as delegates and members of NZCB.
Evidence perhaps that those early connections to NZCB via the Apprentice Challenge are crucial to the longevity and alignment of the next generation of NZCB membership.
On behalf of the NZCB members, including staff and sponsors, I congratulate each of the apprentice finalists who took part in the 2023 NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM. As always, it was my pleasure to host each of you at the National Final alongside the annual NZCB AGM, Conference & Expo.
NZCB wishes you the very best for the remainder of your apprenticeship and beyond.
Nick Matthews NZCB Industry Pathways and Apprenticeship Manager
Described as a “brilliant all rounder, super-skilled, focused, and forward thinking,” Alex Erickson won the supreme award at the ITM sponsored 2023 NZCB Apprentice Challenge.
The judges said he was “the standout from the start across all assessment areas and disciplines.” A pretty conclusive result, yet Alex didn’t expect to win and was a bit overwhelmed with the outcome.
“I was up against the best of the best,” he says. “I never planned an acceptance speech!”
Back at work at Steve Brown Builders in Christchurch, Alex has had time to reflect on his win and what it means for the future. Top of mind is the $10,000 ITM voucher Alex received. “The tools we use in the business don’t come cheap so this will provide the chance to get something higher spec,” he says.
In the past, the main focus of apprentice training was skill on the tools, but now the emphasis is on multi-skill disciplines, including materials, planning, budget control, project management, and more.
Getting to the Apprenticeship Challenge grand final is no mean feat with 21 regional competitions involving over 100 apprentices. In each
regional event, apprentices face each other in a day-long contest to complete a technical build. This year’s project, a kids playhouse, tested a number of skills, including reading a plan, hand nailing, and using various hand tools.
It’s a huge logistical challenge to arrange these events. ITM have been sponsoring and assisting the Challenge for six years and plan to continue for the foreseeable future. Supporting the training of builders across New Zealand is a core part of our commitment to the industry.
The top three apprentices in each region were awarded ITM voucher prizes, with the winner in each region receiving an allexpenses paid trip to the NZCB Annual Conference & Expo where they compete in the Apprenticeship Challenge grand final.
The general feeling at the conference was that this year’s final was the most successful and hotly contested event in the history of the Apprenticeship Challenge.
We’re looking forward to Alex coming into one of our ITM stores to get his hands on the new tools he’s after. Needless to say, we’ll see him right.
Lauren Findsen ITM Brand Experience Manager NZCB Industry Pathways & Apprenticeship Manager, Nick Matthews presents Chontelle Mosegi from KidsCan charity with donation raised from sales of Apprentice Challenge projects 2023. NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM national finalist competitors – the not so serious photo.
If you asked me this time last year about taking part in the 2023 NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM, I would’ve said I most likely wouldn’t try again. I had a pretty disastrous first attempt at the Canterbury regional challenge in 2022.
Fast forward to the first official day of the National Challenge. I met the other 20 incredible apprentices and before we had a chance for small talk, we were given two hours to finish a written assessment that, ‘We would expect second year apprentices to be able to complete’ – thanks Nick, no pressure. Ahead of the next day’s Mitre 10 Great Apprentice Race, we were paired up with our hotel roommates and tasked with building a trike and trailer using limited materials and tools. The rules did not specify it had to have three wheels, so the four-wheeled bus Sam Keenan and I built was perfectly fine! In the spare time leading up to the Apprentice Race, most of us walked around the expo, learning about new products and gathering clothes, pencils, and snacks.
Before we knew it, it was race time. The bus Sam and I built was poorly engineered, resulting in it tipping over and losing a wheel (it’s a trike now!). The creativity of the other groups was astounding, which got me thinking I was in trouble when it came to our speeches. I was really hoping I could make my sander sound interesting now. Needless to say, we didn’t win the race, but it was a great experience with nothing but smiles and laughter.
After working myself up about the big, stressful interview, the three judges actually made it a really calm and relaxing environment. I was the last interview so I could only hope I left a good impression. Surely they were getting bored after 21 interviews!
But after a year of personal and professional growth, and pep talks with my workmates and Ara Institute of Canterbury apprenticeship assessor Aaron Keech, I decided to give it a go.
I was much more relaxed at the regional challenge second time around and focused everything on the build: a playhouse with an elevated floor, climbing wall, and pitched roof. It was an intense day but worth every minute, and the $500 prize from ITM was great!
Before the National Challenge, we were given details about what to expect and tasked with providing a formal covering letter, CV, and work portfolio. It was then I realised this is the real deal; I’m competing against the best apprentices in New Zealand. Part of the Challenge is preparing a two-three minute speech on the topic, “What is your favourite carpentry tool and why?” For a guy who loves to joke around, this was a great opportunity to let my humour shine, right? Wrong. My mind went completely blank. Spending the week at work didn’t help either, I couldn’t put my finger on just one tool. After a lot of deliberation, I landed on the trusty orbital sander and the words started flowing.
Next was my presentation and thanks to the support from the other competitors it was more like talking to a very large group of mates. It was pretty stressful but the minutes flew by. With the hard work over, we spent time getting to know each other better and preparing for the Gala Dinner where the winner would be announced. It was clear that while we had met only a couple of days earlier, we had unconditional care and support for each other.
After taking first place, I would like to thank everyone involved. There are too many people to list and I would hate to miss anyone but none of it would have been possible without NZCB and the great sponsors. It was a truly unforgettable event –I couldn’t recommend it enough!
I look forward to seeing you all at the 2024 NZCB Conference & Expo.
Alex Erickson NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM 2023 Winner
Judging 21 of the finest young builders in New Zealand is a humbling experience for those of us privileged to have been asked. It’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly as we’re aware of the level of commitment the apprentices and bosses have made to get to the finals.
This year was no exception, and my fellow judges Jason McClintock, last year’s winner Joshua Welsh and I had our work cut out for us when we reviewed the quality of the pre-work submitted. The finals consisted of four components with varying weightings: an interview, a presentation to an audience, a threehour trade exam, and a covering letter, CV, and portfolio of work. Except for the Trade Exam, marked by Industry Training Association Builder (ITAB) tutors, the judges independently score the other components based on specific criteria. Those scores are then combined, and winners are determined from the weighted total.
Having proven themselves more than capable from a practical perspective, all entrants were pushed outside their comfort zone when it came to talking about themselves, what they do, and their training and future aspirations, not to mention presenting to a large audience on a predetermined topic. There were a number of standouts over the two days, but some of the most inspiring came from those who overcame their fears and with support from their peers, delivered awesome presentations. The Trade Exam was, like most years, quite difficult and some further tweaking of format, including creating optional sections based on where the apprentices are in their training, will need to be made. In saying that, those who prepared well, did well.
Aside from the quality of work delivered, there were a few other consistent themes worth noting. The quality of mullet gets better every year, and the amount of care and attention to them rivals that of their craft. On a more serious note though, every candidate had a great appreciation for their employer and the opportunities given to them. The level of maturity in the responses to questions was impressive, as well as the opinions on industry issues, which given that most of them hadn’t networked outside their business or region was interesting. There were four candidates this year that also made the finals last year, it was great to see them improve on last year’s performance. Lastly, the camaraderie and support for each other developed over the few days was great to see. The network they have built, coupled with the experiences and learnings from conference, will no doubt carry them well into the future.
A special thank you to Jason McClintock and Joshua Welsh for putting aside their valuable time to prepare for and judge over the two days. Having a previous winner as a judge gave a different perspective, which was helpful. We’d also like to thank and farewell Brian Dillon, for his time and commitment to the judging panel over the past few years, who is now tackling new challenges at Te Pūkenga.
Bring on next year!
Derek Heard NZ Building Industry Federation Chair
Wellington apprentice Jordan Gush from Straight Forward Building Solutions Limited.
Auckland North apprentice Leo Van Der Kroft from Warren Adolph Homes Limited.
Bay of Islands/Far North apprentice Keiran Davis from Hatchard Builders Limited.
One of the highlights of the NZCB Conference & Expo each year is the time and energy devoted to highlighting young builders, and this year’s event was no exception.
In late May, Christchurch welcomed NZCB members along with a group of talented apprentices ready to take on the annual Mitre 10 Great Apprentice Race (GAR).
This year, 22 bright up-and-coming builders were tasked with designing and quickly building a working trike and trailer from scratch using common building materials.
The concept was presented to the GAR participants the night before the competition, leaving little time for the pairs of young builders to design their trikes, build them by lunchtime the following day and then race them, with additional challenges thrown in along the way!
Egged on by Mitre 10 icon, Stan Scott, all the Mitre 10 Great Apprentice Race participants displayed enterprise, skills, and ingenuity.
But someone has to win, and the top contestants for 2023 were Jordan Gush of Straight Forward Building Solutions Ltd (Wellington) and Jack Johnston of Naylor Love Construction Ltd (Dunedin).
Close behind were mainlanders Charlette Bone of Tasman Homes Nelson Ltd (Nelson) and Nina Griffiths from Chatterton Builders Ltd (Canterbury), who also won the design portion of the GAR.
The third and final podium finishers for 2023 were central North Island duo Daniel Merwyn from Wade Construction Ltd (Taupō) and Kevin Fu of Reliable Homes Ltd (Waikato).
Mitre 10 New Zealand is proud to partner with NZCB in highlighting and encouraging New Zealand’s emerging builders and will continue to support NZCB and the Great Apprentice Race every year. It is great to see the talent being fostered through NZCB members, and there is no doubt the building industry continues to grow stronger through the relationships formed at these events.
Glen Goodall
10 National Trade Development Manager
Mitre
Now chilled filtered drinking water, filtered near-boiling water, plus standard hot and cold water are all available from a single multi-functional tap.
Both the NeoTank and NeoChiller fit underneath the bench-top and deliver near boiling and chilled water to the MultiTap Chilled.
Successful administration is crucial to the survival of a building business. However, the role of administrator is often fulfilled by the builder’s partner or another family member with little to no training in marketing, HR, health and safety, or bookkeeping.
As an Association, it’s important for New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) to provide a network of support to the administrators within our membership to ensure they have the necessary skills and knowledge, as well as a ‘safe place’ to share their experiences.
So, the NZCB Auckland Committee held its first administrator workshop in May looking at the important topic of cashflow forecasting. In my capacity as business owner and administrator, I presented the process that MyHome Renovations follows to forecast and manage its cashflow. Also on hand was Amanda Chisholm, an Auckland Committee member who holds a wealth of knowledge in her role as business owner of My Smart Office. We also invited representatives from ASB Business Banking to discuss available lending options if a cash injection is required.
After very positive feedback, the committee is planning to host another workshop in the second half of the year – so keep an eye out for information coming soon!
The Auckland Committee wants to encourage new members from our region to attend the national NZCB AGM, Conference & Expo. Not only does the Conference & Expo provide an incredible opportunity to meet other members, join topical workshop sessions, and talk with trade exhibitors, but it often cements the relationship between members and the Association.
To encourage members to attend the annual event, the committee launched a new initiative – the Conference Cashback promotion. Any new NZCB Auckland Region member, who registered for the recent 2023 National AGM, Conference & Expo in Christchurch, automatically went in the draw to win their conference registration fees back, plus two tickets to the Friday Mingler and a travel/ accommodation allowance – valued at $2,270!
We are pleased to announce our inaugural Conference Cashback winner for 2023; Nigel Sen from Samson Construction. It was great to meet Nigel and introduce him to the committee and NZCB National Support Office staff. The committee looks forward to offering the promotion to new members in 2024.
Barbara MacGregor NZCB President Auckland
Left to right: NZCB
President Auckland, Barbara MacGregor with Auckland’s first inaugural Conference Cashback winner for 2023 Nigel Sen from Samson Construction and his employee, Shavneel Lal.
NZCB President Auckland, Barbara MacGregor presenting on the processes she follows to forecast and manage cashflow.
Not sure if there are any events happening in your region? Check out the
CONZTRUCT is for builders, electricians, architects, designers, developers, and other specialist trades people to further their breadth of knowledge, education and gain a greater understanding of new product technologies. There’s LBP and CPD points available, lots of giveaways, complimentary food and beverages, and it’s FREE to attend!
For more information visit, www.conztruct.co.nz.
Online 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Above Sheathing Ventilation and Vapour Control Layers
21 September – presented by Catherine McGregor
The Science of Cold Roof Design
19 October – presented by Ben Ingledew
The Ultimate Guide to SIP & CLT
23 November – presented by Richard Hollard
A FREE lunchtime webinar series discussing how to make and keep your homes or projects moisture-free, condensationfree, healthy and energy-efficient. Webinars are focussing on designing and building for airtightness and weathertightness. Areas: roofs, walls, ceilings, window joinery, innovative building materials and more
LBP and CPD points apply.
For more information and to register visit www.proclima.co.nz/events.
Christchurch
Join an educational and inspirational day visiting some of New Zealand’s most beautiful, sustainable, healthy homes.
A fun adventure with expert commentary from owners, architects, builders and developers. Hear from the designers and builders about what makes a home healthy for people and the planet.
A day of collegial fun, valuable lessons and connecting with inspiring like-minded people and professionals. Experiencing the quality of homes, meeting the experts and owners, and discussing in an open and honest way the lessons, is a wonderful and very valuable experience.
The tours include lunch, drinks and networking at the end of the day.
For more information and to register visit www.superhome.co.nz/events/tag/2023.
As builders, we know firsthand that the construction industry is fast-paced and demanding. It’s common to face high levels of stress and pressure and the success of each job relies on multiple facets all working smoothly –many of which are out of our control.
How you cope with the stress and pressure when it arises makes all the difference to your personal happiness, your productivity and the success of the job. Today we’ll share a few simple tools to help you create a win-win-win for yourself, your team, and your clients.
Take Regular Breaks. We understand that your never-ending to-do list may make you feel like you don’t have time to stop, however, taking regular breaks actually increases your productivity and your ability to brainstorm the best solutions. Breaks help to recharge you both mentally and physically and significantly reduce the risk of burnout.
Take short breaks (without your phone!) to stretch your back, breathe deep and enjoy a large drink of water. These moments of rest and rejuvenation have a profound impact on your focus, your energy levels, and your overall mood.
Take time to eat well. The food you eat directly affects your energy levels and your ability to concentrate on the job. Nutritious food like fruit, vegetables and nuts refuel your body and switch on your brain, increasing your performance and allowing you to work more efficiently.
Make time to laugh and have fun. Find opportunities to share a light-hearted joke or engage in activities that bring joy to your day. Laughter relieves stress, helps your team to feel more connected and promotes a positive work atmosphere.
Take a few minutes to connect with your colleagues, share funny stories, or engage in light-hearted banter. These moments can have a significant positive impact on your overall wellbeing and contribute to a much more enjoyable workplace.
Time Management. We all have the same 168 hours in the week and plenty to fit into those hours! How we spend our time is 100% in our control, even though we often don’t feel like it is. When your weeks are feeling like there are just not enough hours to get everything done, prioritising your time is crucial.
Take note of how you are spending, and enjoying, your down time and whether or not it is making you feel truly refreshed.
Consider spending an hour or two on a Friday afternoon planning your next working week. This way the tasks to be done are still fresh in your mind and anyone you need to book in or communicate with, is still working.
Sir Graham Henry, NZCB Conference & Expo, May 2023
Foster a Positive Work Environment. Those of you who were at the New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) Conference & Expo, in Christchurch, this year would have enjoyed hearing Sir Graham Henry speak on Leadership.
His coaching style was based around their ‘Better people make better All Blacks’ philosophy, and as we all know, had great results. He was kind enough to share a few of his ‘Leadership Tips’ with us, including what to do when a team member is not performing.
Sir Graham recommends lavishly emphasising your team members’ strengths and positive contributions by highlighting specific things they have done which you were impressed with, and how their work has positively impacted your team and the job. Then, Sir Graham suggests asking your team member “is there anything we can help you with, or any skills you’d like to improve on?”
In the glow of praise, Sir Graham says it is far more likely that your team member will pinpoint their own weaknesses, which then sets the scene for you to plan together to overcome them.
Set Boundaries. Establish clear boundaries between your work and personal life by defining specific times for work and non-work activities, and communicating these boundaries with your team and your loved ones. This includes the appropriate times each day to communicate work plans to your team.
Book in dedicated time to do the things you really enjoy, including sports and hobbies and quality time with your family and friends. Giving yourself and your team mates this dedicated time allows you all to fully recharge and bring renewed energy to both your workplace and your families.
So, dear builders, let’s not only build structures, but also a community of energetic craftsman, thriving teamwork, and good-natured humour. Together, we’ll create not just buildings that stand tall, but a legacy of laughter, success, and endless stories to share at the end of the workday.
Rachelle Hawes is the Director of Your Happy Place Limited She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in improving Mindset, Happiness and Success to their flagship Mindset Programme, the Positive Mindset Challenge. She is also a Social Entrepreneur dedicated to Sharing Kindness, Touching Hearts and Changing Lives.
“Better people make better All Blacks.”
Laughter relieves stress, helps your team to feel more connected and promotes a positive work atmosphere.
For more information ask in branch or talk to your rep.
Builders are facing many challenges in the current economic climate, from pricing jobs that go nowhere, to finding decent-sized projects and rising material costs. These hurdles, combined with the physically demanding nature of the job, can drain energy levels. The good news is there are simple yet effective tools that can make a big difference. By making subtle shifts in our thinking patterns, we can experience a positive impact on our emotions and energy levels.
The starting point is getting to grips with the evolutionary hangover we all have (nothing to do with too many beers on a Friday). We all have a hardwired negativity bias in the brain. This bias served our ancestors well, keeping them alert to potential dangers and triggering the fight, flight, or freeze response to any sign of that legendary sabre tooth tiger.
However, in today’s world, this response is often unhelpful and can cause unnecessary stress. Whether it’s a grumpy subbie, an order not turning up or the apprentice leaving that brand new power tool out in the rain, our brains still flood with cortisol and adrenaline, gearing us up to fight, flight or freeze. And punching something, running fast or being paralysed by indecision or fear are not usually the best courses of action!
Here are two science-backed thinking tools to try instead:
When faced with a challenging situation, it is easy to become consumed by worry and focus on elements beyond our control, such as price increases, weather conditions, or the looming due date for paying tax. The CAN technique helps us redirect our mental energy towards what we can control and let go of the factors outside our influence.
Apply these three steps to a difficult situation or challenge:
1. Control: Identify all the aspects within your control, where you have leverage, influence, or room to manoeuvre.
2. Accept: Acknowledge the things you cannot control and learn to let go of them.
3. Now act: List steps you can take to deal with the situation. For example, Will is frustrated by the time he spends pricing jobs that lead nowhere. It’s taking a toll on his mental energy and causing him to worry about his business at night. His ‘CAN’ lists could look like this:
What can I control?
• The level of detail in my quotes
• How much time I spend
• How I communicate the quote to clients
• Types of projects I choose to price
• Types of clients I provide quotes for
• Attitude and mindset
Extensive research shows the remarkable benefits of optimism span both mental and physical wellbeing, including reduced stress, improved immune function, and increased happiness and productivity. Dr Martin Seligman’s ground-breaking work discovered the thinking style that helps people not only bounce back from adversity faster but also capitalize on their successes.
When faced with a setback, our negativity bias may lead us to catastrophise or see the situation as worse than it is. Try looking at the situation through the eyes of The Optimistic Thinker and ask yourself three questions:
What do I have to accept?
• Cost of materials putting clients off
• Competitive market conditions
• High interest rates
• Economic uncertainty
What can I do now ?
• Give clients initial, less detailed quotes with estimates and approximate ranges to save time and assess their interest.
• Engage in discussions with clients during the quoting process to build rapport.
• Develop a standardized document showcasing my experience, expertise, and testimonials to demonstrate value.
• Follow up with clients who seem like a good fit.
• Check in with others in the industry, share ideas and insights, and remind myself I’m not alone in this tough time.
• Embrace a growth mindset: for every loss, ask myself ‘what can I learn from this for next time?’
• Build a profile of the types of jobs and clients I’m more likely to have success with and focus on finding and nurturing those opportunities.
The CAN technique helps you to have a bias toward action, giving you confidence and motivation to move forward proactively.
1. Is it really permanent? A pessimist might think “subbies are always unreliable”, “the apprentice is always so forgetful”, “costs are always going to increase”, which makes you shrug your shoulders, say to yourself “what’s the point in trying?”. Challenge yourself and check – “what’s temporary about this situation?” Not all subbies are unreliable, the apprentice is learning (and does remember his lunch!), and some costs have stabilised and are likely to stay that way for a while.
2. Is it really pervasive? A setback often feels all-encompassing, affecting every aspect of life or business. “The contract cancellation will affect the whole business”, “the delay will set back all the projects”, “their late payment will make us default on our loan re-payments and I’ll lose the truck”. Optimists have
a more balanced perspective, recognising the limited scope of the setback. They can see where a failure is specific to a project, and can point to other things in their lives that are still going well.
3. Is it really personal? Pessimists tend to internalize setbacks, blaming themselves and engaging in negative self-talk – which is a real handbrake to performance on the job. “I’m useless at planning”, “what an idiot”, “I stuffed up the numbers again”. Optimistic thinkers, on the other hand, look for external factors that may have contributed to the situation. They don’t dodge all responsibility for their actions, but they do consider other circumstances that played a role. Maybe the client kept changing their mind, the supplier’s pricing was hard to decipher, or you rushed the quote this time so you could get on to the next job?
Thinking like an optimist helps beat defeat and boosts your mood, energy and perseverance.
Conversely, when something positive happens, avoid being a dismissive pessimist. Embrace the reasons behind the success that are permanent, pervasive, and personal. Pessimists tend to view successes as temporary, situation-specific, and driven solely by external factors. For example, “We’re ahead of schedule because we got lucky with the weather (temporary), this particular site is easy to access (specific) and the client is super chill (external).”
This type of thinking prevents you from recognizing your skills and strengths that can be applied to other areas of life. The optimistic mindset seeks the three Ps: permanent, pervasive,
and personal. “I (personal) always (permanent) think ahead and adapt to changes, so I can manage multiple projects at the same time – and also still have a great holiday when the weather is dicey (pervasive).”
This style of thinking helps build positive momentum, confidence, and self-efficacy, providing you with vital energy to take on the next challenge.
The Optimistic Thinker:
• When things go badly, ask yourself how permanent, pervasive and personal is this really?
• When things go well, look for the reasons that are permanent (always), pervasive (everything) and personal (me).
In summary, the CAN technique and the Optimistic Thinker are tools that help us to be more mentally agile. By changing our thought patterns, we can cultivate more helpful and constructive responses to situations, gaining time, mental and emotional energy.
The Wellbeing Works provides engaging and practical workshops that teach proven mental tools, derived from the latest research, to help individuals thrive under any circumstances. To learn more, visit www.thewellbeingworks.com.
Kim Tay, Director of The Wellbeing Works, heads a team of experts dedicated to empowering people to thrive. Their engaging workshops cover wellbeing, resilience, health and safety, and are complemented by insightful keynote talks, performance and mindset coaching, and invaluable employee surveys. www.thewellbeingworks.com
A new initiative is helping tradies to cope better with the ups and downs of the residential construction industry.
Live Well, Build Well shares practical tools and ideas that construction businesses can use to build resilience, reduce stress levels and help prevent common workplace injuries.
The programme was set up at the end of last year with the backing of the Mental Health Foundation and ACC.
Programme manager Rafael Caso has been busy packaging the science of wellbeing into builder-friendly, accessible video clips using relatable, work-based examples. Many are filmed on-site at the back of his trusty ute.
Topics covered include managing every day workplace pressures, healthy thinking strategies and mindsets, breathing techniques, sleep, nutrition, body conditioning and rest and recovery time.
Raf says his previous role as a health and safety manager in the industry was a major motivation for his involvement. “My experience is that one of the biggest risks on-site is people’s emotional state. When people are having a bad day, they shut down and almost go into a zombie state. They’re simply not living or building as they should be.”
“That’s why I was keen to be involved in something proactive that passes on habits that make people more mentally and physically robust.”
Raf says the programme is relevant for anyone working in a busy, high-pressure work environment. The approach also acknowledges that many of the industry’s challenges – supply chain issues, adverse weather, labour shortages, regulations, changing economic conditions – are beyond anyone’s control.
“What I like about Live Well, Build Well is that it’s the ‘ambulance at the top of the cliff’. It’s about mental fitness, rather than illness and focuses on the things people can control to keep well and perform under pressure,” says Raf.
Research shows that simple, daily habits such as staying in touch with mates, keeping the body moving, taking time to enjoy simple pleasures in life, learning new things to keep fresh and giving back to friends and community can all improve our wellbeing so we can perform at our best.
“That’s what we mean by live well, build well,” says Raf.
To reach as many tradies as possible, Raf has been making extensive use of social media. His video interviews have already racked up 1,000s of views on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Raf maintains strong industry connections, including more than 13,500 followers on his LinkedIn account.
Live Well, Build Well encourages tradies to think about their wellbeing like a bank account and make regular ‘investments’ in things that boost their wellbeing so they have something to ‘draw on’ when times are tough.
“We’re all born with a certain amount of natural wellbeing, but as we go through life and get knock backs, our wellbeing levels deplete so we need to top them up. The idea is to make small deposits on a regular basis rather than waiting until our wellbeing is so low that we’ve got a crisis on our hands,” says Raf.
“Our aim is to start conversations about health and wellbeing that might not otherwise happen. A lot of the tradies I interview are quite reserved at first, but once you get them talking they have a lot of great insights about how you manage workplace pressure. That’s the gold. We just need to give people in our industry the confidence to start sharing and discussing these ideas.”
To find out more follow Live Well Build Well on Facebook, visit Work Should Not Hurt at www.chasnz.org/wsnh/work-should-not-hurt or contact livewellbuildwell@gmail.com.
Live Well, Build Well. Our goal is to increase mental and physical wellbeing across the residential construction sector based on what builders and tradies already know, boosted by the latest wellbeing science. A community where tradies lead the conversation of what wellbeing means to them and share their own personal stories on how they overcame tough times to inspire and educate their peers. Rafael Caso (centre), Live Well, Build Well programme manager out on-site.“The idea is to make small deposits on a regular basis rather than waiting until our wellbeing is so low that we’ve got a crisis on our hands,”
Driven to create surfaces that make a living environment durable, feel and look good to live in, we believe the tactile nature of plaster cladding is unrivaled.
The construction process contains many facets which when combined, and applied accurately make for a shining, and durable example of the construction process - from the clients needs, the Architecture, through to the selection of products, and the professional trades people that apply their skills
At Resene Construction Systems we only promote tested & trusted products, all applied by LBP registered Plastering Professionals for each and every project.
Visit our website to discover more about our exciting range of facade systems, bespoke interior finishes, and construction products
Architect: Krush Architecture
Builder: T L Builders
Plastering Professional: Geocoat
INTEGRA lightweight concrete plaster cladding
Welcome to part three of our four-part journey on daily functioning. In the previous two InHouse magazine editions we talked about the importance of a good night’s sleep and how to create good breathing habits.
Equally important to daily functioning, is physical care. This includes hydration, nutrition, exercise, and rest.
They say the human body cannot survive without water for any more than about three days, which makes hydration paramount. Hydration is the act of adding water that has been lost, back into your body, so it functions properly. If we don’t do this, we end up dehydrated, and this can have some rather nasty side effects.
Dehydration can be caused by many things, including excessive overheating, sun exposure, sweating, vomiting, excessive urinating, diarrhoea, or even crying.
If you don’t replenish the water your body loses, you may start to feel unusually tired or confused, you might get dizzy when you stand up, or experience a dry mouth, lips, and eyes. If you remain in a state of dehydration for too long, more severe symptoms can occur, such as a weak or rapid pulse, low level of consciousness, or seizures.
Our bodies are made up of approximately 70% water, and it only takes a 2% loss of total water content for your body to start feeling thirsty. Good hydration helps sustain our body temperature, transports oxygen to our cells, maintains good organ function, and protects our joints.
In addition to water, it has been proven that some drinks with a little bit of sugar, fat, or protein can help keep us hydrated for longer. There are also plenty of foods that can contribute to hydration such as watermelon, cucumber, coconut water, broths and soups, plain yoghurt, and cottage cheese. Adding some of those particularly good hydration foods to your daily diet is a good idea, but what else should we eat for good nutrition? Society has debated what a good diet looks like for years. Every day there are new fad diets, updated recommendations, do eat and don’t eat lists, and often a lot of information that is available to us is contradictory and conflicting. With exception to special dietary requirements due to allergies or anaphylactic reactions, the best nutritional advice might just be “everything in moderation”.
Simply pinch an area on the back of your hand and lift the skin up. If it falls back quickly, you are reasonably well hydrated. If you think you might not be that well hydrated, check the colour of your urine the next time you go to the bathroom. Medium to dark yellow urine is often an indication you could be dehydrated.
The first thing we think of is water. The general rule is we need 6-8 glasses of water a day, but this will vary from person to person. Having a water bottle on hand and taking regular sips throughout the day can make the process less arduous, but try and ease off as bedtime nears, or you might be up all night!
Food has evolved from simply being a source of survival to being celebrated as an occasion, an art, and an experience! We use it to connect, and while this is all very nice, we need to remember that food is nutrients, and nutrients are fuel for our bodies. Good nutrients give us energy, keep our bones and muscles strong, and help our heart and brain function. Listening to our bodies is very important. A simple way to start fuelling your body well, is to keep a diary recording everything you eat for a week or two and note how your body responds. Write down the times you eat, what you eat, and how you felt immediately after, then two hours later. Note down if you constantly feel hungry, comfortable, full, or bloated, if you feel gassy or feel an urgency to get to the toilet, if you feel energised or lethargic, and how well you sleep. This should help build a picture of what your body needs to function well.
A simple way to start fuelling your body well, is to keep a diary recording everything you eat for a week or two and note how your body responds.
Regardless of the ongoing research and reporting around what to, and what not to eat, we can all probably agree that fresh is best. Next time you go the supermarket (after you have stopped reeling at the price of food) try and get the majority of your food from the “fresh food” areas; the bakery, the deli, the butchery, and the fruit and veggie area, rather than the aisles where there are loads of packet and tinned foods full of sodium, sugar, and salt.
With hydration and nutrition in hand, we next look into exercise and rest. Both are equally important, and both are quite personal to the individual. Those of us who might be happy with walking the dog or a bit of gardening, followed by a good book on the couch, probably have the “rest” part sorted. But those that have a higher drive for more intense exercise will need to ensure
they build “rest” time into their routines. Sports, competitive events, and individual challenges all require very disciplined exercise, but if there is no recovery time, problems could start to emerge.
Every time we do a workout, we create tiny tears in our muscle tissues. When rested, the muscles have a chance to heal and grow back stronger. This means next time you do exercise, it will be a bit easier and take a bit less effort. If rest days are not built into your routine, the risk of injury is heightened.
At the end of the day, any kind of exercise and rest is of benefit, and the key in today’s busy world is to ensure it happens, and that we enjoy it! Plan ahead if you need to and book exercise and rest into your diary like an appointment. Then stick to it!
Balancing hydration, nutrition, exercise, and rest can seem challenging at times, but small steps and tweaks to our habits and routines can see us make huge leaps towards optimum daily functioning.
Wendy Taylor, Head of Customer Experience at HumanEx Wendy has 20 years’ experience working in both community and professional services. From heading Operations in a Business Coaching Company, to Managing NFP organisations, teams and volunteers, her experience has taught her plenty about people, processes, and purpose. www.humanex.co.nz.
Any kind of exercise and rest is of benefit, and the key in today’s busy world is to ensure it happens, and that we enjoy it!
During the last recession, I helped more than double the market share of one of New Zealand’s leading home builders. In this article, I share the tactics used to achieve that – and I’m offering NZCB members a free 30-minute consultation to help you prioritise your own action plan.
The key leading indicators to measure in the new home building sector are:
• Qualified leads: leads who have expressed interest in building a home and have the financial ability to do so.
• Number of appointments made with qualified leads.
• Sales funnel velocity: The speed at which leads move through the sales funnel.
• Home showings.
• Offers made.
• Negotiation: Tracking the negotiation process helps identify potential obstacles in the sales process. If negotiations stall, it may be necessary to adjust the sales approach, or the price.
• Contract signings: as a percentage of the total number of qualified leads. This shows the effectiveness of the sales process and potential areas for improvement.
Be clear on who your target customers are, and create detailed buyer personas that pinpoint the needs, preferences, and pain points of target customers at each stage of the buyer’s journey. This will help you to understand their motivations and tailor your sales process accordingly.
Also take a fresh look at your traditional market: is it still viable? Or are there new opportunities, for example customer segments that are less affected by the recession? E.g. first home buyers, or customers looking to downsize.
Your leads will have had multiple experiences with your brand online before they contact you. Therefore it’s vital to understand and map out the touch points prospects may have throughout the sales process. This enables you to create targeted content, and optimise your website for each stage of the buyer’s journey.
Implement a formal documented milestonecentric sales process that uses a consultative selling methodology. Qualification criteria ensure that sales reps are targeting the right prospects. Sales enablement tools, such as CRM software and marketing collateral, should be provided to support the consultative methodology.
AAWARENESS
Buyer sees your brand/ products/services
CCONSIDERATION
The buyer compares your brand/products/services to your competitors
TTRANSACTION
The buyer will purchase from you or your competitors
Focus on providing value to customers. This could mean offering more value or incentives that appeal to your buyer personas.
Review how you do things, with the aim of reducing costs through efficient processes, or finding ways to streamlining your business operations.
For a complimentary 30-minute consultation to help focus you in the correct direction please email jason@excc.co.nz or phone 021 526 456.
Invest in digital marketing and advertising: this can help you stand out from competitors. There are many case studies of companies across a range of sectors that increased their marketing activity during recessionary times and increased their sales revenue and market share. Now is definitely not the time to reduce marketing activity and risk becoming invisible in the marketplace.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB), the following people received Appreciation Awards at the NZCB AGM, Conference and Expo, in May.
Don has been a supporter of NZCB and, in particular, the Canterbury Region for many years. Don has a huge passion for the building industry. He supports builders, our trade, and is keen on seeing positive change in the industry.
Don has hosted the Canterbury regional event of the NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM, at Hamptons ITM in Christchurch, without hesitation. He puts in a large number of hours before and after the event to ensure it runs smoothly. For example, Don centrally orders and supplies all materials for South Island regional locations of the Apprentice Challenge.
Don is a current member of the NZCB Canterbury Committee, bringing ideas, knowledge, and support to every meeting. Although Don is not an NZCB member, NZCB has benefited from his professionalism, and we thank him for his commitment to NZCB.
Brian Dillon is a long-serving NZCB member dating back to 1998 when he joined as a selfemployed builder. Soon after, Brian became a Carpentry Tutor at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and continued his relationship with NZCB via the Industry Training Association Building (ITAB) Apprenticeship programme.
In 2016, he was appointed to the Apprenticeship Scholarship Trust (AST Trust), taking on the position of AST Trust Chairperson in 2019. Brian has served as a judge at the national final of the NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM, often taking the leadership role within the judging panel.
In more recent years, Brian was elected as the Board Chairperson of ITAB, where he has been heavily involved in the transition of ITAB and the development of the NZCB Apprentice Network.
NZCB thanks Brian for his commitment and advocacy in the various roles and for all the support he provides.
Jo came to the rescue late in 2019 to take over the NZCB Nelson Bays Coordinator role after the previous coordinator left to have a baby.
Jo had been in the building industry for a number of years in different roles. She spent a few years organising the local yearly Ecofest Expo and has been a project manager for a construction company. Jo has a real passion for our industry, which shows in her role with the Nelson Bays Committee and as property development manager at Habitat for Humanity Nelson.
Because of her past experience, she has taken Nelson Bays NZCB activities, including our own building expo (Build Nelson), to another level. She goes above and beyond what is expected of her in this role.
Having a Jo Reilly in your local NZCB team makes it possible to do so much more for our members.
You will find no more prominent advocate of the NZCB than Sharon. She is so supportive of the Association and what it stands for.
Sharon always keeps the members’ best interests at heart and goes out of her way to welcome and mentor new Auckland members. Sharon will always give up her time to support the committee’s events and initiatives, helping in the background and doing anything that needs to be done.
Sharon’s commitment to the Association, and the Auckland Committee in particular, should be applauded.
Doug has been a friend of the Auckland Committee for many years now. He is one of the first in the industry to put his hand up to be involved in any NZCB event and often goes the extra mile for the committee.
Doug is always keen to assist members by answering questions or providing training about Winstone Wallboard products.
Thank you to everyone for the time you have sacrificed from your own business and family; the support and knowledge you have provided is greatly appreciated!
Estimates are that 10% of the New Zealand population has dyslexia. This sometimes debilitating learning disability makes it difficult for individuals to read and write, regardless of intellectual intelligence. Dyslexic people often have strengths in big picture skills like problem solving, creativity and high-level conceptualisation – all skills well utilised in the construction industry. In the past, there was little understanding and limited support for people with dyslexia, but this has changed for the better, unlocking new opportunities.
Working as a qualified tradesperson in the building and construction industry not only requires sound technical skills, but a strong ability to comprehend and utilise words, numbers, and other sources of information. Apprentices must undertake a rigorous programme of theory to demonstrate they can build the homes and infrastructure that New Zealand needs.
As the country’s largest training provider for the construction industry, BCITO | Te Pūkenga is committed to improving equity and participation in the sector, particularly for disabled learners. One area where the organisation knows it can help its learners, is with dyslexia.
BCITO has provided 16 of its apprentices and Training Advisors with C-Pen readers. These state-of-the-art devices scan and read out words in a natural voice. It can also define words and does not require an internet connection. The devices have proved so popular that BCITO has ordered an additional 16 C-Pens.
“The C-Pen is a valuable tool to use when I need help reading text. I have introduced it to several of my apprentices with dyslexia who have had a massive jump in self-confidence. It has really helped people that would have otherwise fallen through the gaps.”
Manton Parker-Knight is a BCITO carpentry apprentice in Waihi who also has dyslexia. Throughout his schooling he needed reader-writers but was introduced to the C-Pen by his BCITO training advisor.
“It has made a massive difference. I use the C-Pen for studying theory and reading building plans. It has allowed me to be much more independent and confident in my work.”
BCITO is committed to helping learners with dyslexia through their apprenticeships. Learn more about what support is available for you at www.bcito.org.nz/resources/literacy-support/.
Rhys Williams is a BCITO Training Advisor in his fifties with dyslexia. His life has been impacted by severe dyslexia, to the point that whenever he visited a restaurant, he would order a steak because he could not read the menu. But a raft of new technologies, including the C-Pen, has improved his quality of life significantly.
BCITO. Through on-the-job training and regular guidance, BCITO is building a skilled workforce in which talented people can excel. Alongside our industry employers, we create futures for dedicated tradies. We help them develop successful careers and become valuable contributors in New Zealand’s building and construction industry. We honour and uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi in all we do. Manton Parker-Knight, BCITO carpentry apprentice. Rhys Williams, BCITO Training Advisor.Dyslexic people often have strengths in big picture skills like problem solving, creativity and high-level conceptualisation – all skills well utilised in the construction industry.
New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) partnership with Industry Training Providers (ITPs), known as Industry Training Association Building (ITAB), has come to a close. The ITAB Board of Directors, in consultation with NZCB’s Board, passed a resolution to withdraw ITAB and place it into solvent liquidation on 15 March 2023. This process is now complete; ITAB is no longer a legal entity and has been removed from the Incorporated Societies register.
The balance of ITAB net funds, resulting from the solvent liquidation, have been transferred to NZCB and are ring-fenced for the new NZCB Apprentice Network, as this is deemed to be a ‘like for like’ entity and is in accordance with the Incorporated Societies Act and ITAB’s own constitution. Appropriately, all ITAB branding and promotion will now cease, with any support to existing ITAB apprentices being provided under NZCB’s identity. ITAB should be acknowledged and remembered as a highly successful and worthwhile industry partnership, providing the best parts of a traditional time served apprenticeship, with the then newly introduced competency-based model of training. Employers and apprentices whose preference it was to train using the ITP model and ITAB partnership benefited from offsite learning that occurred on campus, delivered by qualified carpentry tutors aligned to NZCB.
All indicators are that this option will continue under the newly introduced nationwide polytechnic, Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills & Technology. Meaning all apprentices will benefit from the resources of both models, with multiple pathways to train and qualify. It’s business as usual for now, and apprentices can continue to enrol with either the BCITO or ITP programmes but there is just no ITAB partnership in place with the ITPs. You can expect to see less of both the BCITO and ITAB logos with more emphasis on Te Pūkenga branded training.
NZCB is committed to supporting our members who employ and train apprentices. Extended support can be accessed via the NZCB Apprentice Network, with apprentices and employers receiving tangible benefits including employment contracts, an apprentice insurance package, and tool deals, to name a few. More information is available at www.nzcb.nz/apprenticeships.
Nick Matthews Industry Pathways and Apprenticeship Manager
Unfortunately, accidents happen. Never by design but they happen. If there has been an ‘event’ which involves water where it shouldn’t be – where to from here? Firstly, we need to get rid of the immediate problem, preferably as fast as possible. Let’s get this water out of the picture and see how bad it is.
What to consider when assessing the damage:
Was the water clean or ‘dirty’?
Dirty means anything other than clean water from internal pipes, eg. sewage, flooding from a creek or surface overflow from a neighbouring site. Dirty water carries all sorts of nasties, so the plasterboard will need to be replaced.
Is there any mould?
Presence of visible mould means there’s a high chance of trouble going on behind, where you can’t see.
Are there multiple layers of plasterboard?
It is very difficult to adequately dry between layers of plasterboard, so this generally would be considered for replacement.
How long has it been since the ‘event’?
If it’s been less than 48 hours and you are getting things on the way to dry, then you have greatly increased your chances of salvation. Anything past 60 hours and the ship has sailed.
Is the insulation wet?
Unfortunately, wet insulation is nigh on impossible to dry out as it tends to get waterlogged, this holds the water behind the board and is the perfect breeding ground for mould.
If a “performance” system, has the integrity of the face or core been compromised?
Performance systems demand that the board be complete and undamaged in order to perform to it’s full capacity. You can check the core integrity with a “poke test”. Take a reasonably pointy object like a screw driver and gently prod several spots around the area in question. If it feels on the soft side consider replacing it. If it feels reasonably firm still it should be fine to keep.
As plasterboard is generally an interior use product, the assumption is that the building is, and will remain, E2 compliant and stay dry. If there is continual water contacting the board and, even if it fully dries out each time, the gypsum core will eventually weaken in its structure and become crumbly within the paper face/back.
OK, so if it’s getting dry and it passes the criteria above you are probably going to have a high chance of saving the board. If it doesn’t, you need to consider replacing the board.
For more info visit www.gib.co.nz or call the GIB® helpline on 0800 100 442.
A home for our brand and a place to inspire bespoke architecture, kitchen perfection, and the life lived in the heart of the home.
Created in partnership with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, it includes sculptural elements and a natural materiality that reflects our identity and sense of place.
With luxury kitchens by Boffi, Arclinea and Henrybuilt, the Auckland Experience Centre is designed to inspire kitchen perfection.
Explore a complete range of kitchen and fabric care solutions, style choices, integration details and design freedom – or book a curated, chef-led culinary experience in the Social Kitchen to see insight-led food care and wine preservation brought to life.
You can visit the Experience Centre, at 199 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland, during the hours of Tuesday to Friday: 9:00am to 5:00pm or Saturday: 10:00am to 2:00pm.
However, to take advantage of a mastery of temperature culinary experience, or to arrange a design consultation, you will need to book by emailing aucklandexperiencecentre@fisherpaykel.com.
The Experience Centre showcases premium appliances in a space that is very different from retail environments and appliance showrooms. While it is designed to host global and local architecture and design partners, we also welcome anyone interested in learning more about our appliance solutions and the design potential of our products. The Experience Centre is programmed with events and educational experiences that will inspire, inform, and connect to the needs of all visitors.
The Experience Centre is a stimulating creative environment composed of several key moments and spaces. There are three hero kitchens designed in partnership with Boffi, Arclinea and Henrybuilt, each showcases the characteristics of our minimal, contemporary, professional, and integrated products, as well as different performance solutions, detailing and placement options.
There is a premium outdoor kitchen showcasing DCS products, luxury laundry and wardrobe spaces showing ways to create a complete fabric care ecosystem, an apartment kitchen illustrating compact living solutions, several product galleries, and a Plan & Choose Studio with resources to meet the needs of visiting architects and designers, and their clients.
The Social Kitchen is the heart of the Experience Centre. It is a large kitchen, dining and wine experience space that brings to life the food care, cooking performance and dishwashing insights that underpin our approach to product design. The Social Kitchen is used for mastery of temperature culinary experiences, which are an opportunity to understand the science, performance and human insights behind our appliance solutions: how cooking methods, temperature and heat types combine for perfect flavour and texture, and how different cooling methods, temperatures and humidity levels combine for perfect food care and wine preservation. Bookings are essential.
No. However, if you find something you like, take a note of the SKU code(s) and contact Kirsty at the New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) National Support Office, kirsty@nzcb.nz. Kirsty will supply you with the NZCB members price and discuss further details with you about placing an order.
Those who read these articles regularly will know our passion for bringing to life a single, affordable operating system for builders. I qualify this by saying we don’t believe this solution should replace the role of the accounting solution Xero, but this single solution had better make sure it is well integrated with Xero – not integrated in a clunky way as an afterthought.
We brought in additional team members with expert health and safety knowledge, and we worked with a number of our builders to scope out and develop an easy-to-use solution that includes what is necessary for health and safety compliance. Some of our initial users have given us this feedback.
“I’ve been impressed with the simplicity of the process of setting up H&S details for a project and creating the SSSP”.
“This H&S module is awesome. I’m actually excited about how user-friendly it is, which hopefully leads to more compliance from everyone.”
Over recent years, the app market has developed several individual apps to solve individual problems, so you can download four or five apps on your phone to do your business, and chances are they don’t talk to each other. As these apps have developed, they have got deeper into their own speciality with deep functionality. As a builder, some of these products are now so deep in functionality that it becomes very difficult for you to use them practically. I don’t see individual apps slowing down in terms of getting more complicated as they have nowhere else to go given their narrow focus and, quite often, their ownership structure that looks to drive financial returns quickly. Venture capital money can have that effect.
At Builda Price, we are taking on the challenge of building you a platform that will become your single operating solution (apart from Xero).
We understand builders and get deep into the functionality of areas that are important to you, such as pricing and financial reporting. In other areas, we cover the essentials to ensure you have what you need. In all cases, we are making sure you get one integrated solution without the need to jump onto different products and pay multiple subscriptions (which can be quite expensive).
Over the last year, part of our team (parallel to our other releases) has been developing our comprehensive health and safety solution, fully integrated into our Builda Price platform. We see this as an essential part of the builder’s toolkit and a fundamental step on the path to a single solution.
Health and safety is a requirement these days, but that wasn’t always the case. I have been in the industry for over 30 years. When I worked with PlaceMakers and Carters in the early years of my career, health and safety was only starting to be discussed and focussed on. I was one of those executives who dismissed it as being a bolt-on to my already busy schedule. Then I was involved in handling a workplace incident which involved engaging with the family of a team member who had a serious incident. This was a sharp reality call for me; seeing the personal impact accidents have on our people and their families. If we can use technology and procedures to prevent an accident or worse, it is well worth it. Easy, affordable health and safety solutions must be available to the industry. They shouldn’t be a financial burden or hard to use. They should ensure the builder and their staff are well protected and the health and safety risk sits in the right place. This is why we see health and safety as a critical part of any integrated builder’s solution.
Most building projects involve a number of steps and stakeholders, including workers, subbies, customers, and professionals, to name a few. These all need to be covered and communicated from a health and safety risk perspective, which can get complicated.
At Builda Price, we are taking on the challenge of building you a platform that will become your single operating solution.
Our integrated solution means:
• The same users and permissions that apply to your projects, timesheets, scheduling and reporting are consistent through our software, from pricing to task allocation and into health and safety. With our integrated solution, you don’t need to set up users and permissions in different products and apps.
• The same project structure is used throughout the software. The projects set up for project management and reporting are the same projects you will use in health and safety. No double handling.
• Common task and project allocation for workers, customers, and subbies from scheduling right through to health and safety.
• One storage place for everything. All your project documentation, photos, invoices, timesheets, toolbox meetings, incident reports, etc., are recorded within our Builda Price portal against the common project.
Rotten timber is highly infectious to other timber. Cut out 45cm on either side of rot and burn infected timber. Treat all surrounding timber as if it were heavily mould infested with Resene Moss & Mould Killer diluted with 20% solution and 80% water.
Visit www.resene.co.nz/archspec/datasheets/ d80-Moss-&-Mould-Killer.pdf for more information.
Scrub clean with Resene Roof Wash and Paint Cleaner and thoroughly rinse with cold water. Treat all bare timber in the vicinity and replacement timber with Resene TimberLock. Preprime all sides of replacement timber before installation. Rusty nail-heads may be accompanied by rot around the body of the nails.
More information on Resene Roof and Metal Wash can be found at www.resene.co.nz/archspec/datasheets/ d88-Roof-and-Metal-Wash.pdf and Resene TimberLock, at www.resene.co.nz/archspec/datasheets/d48TimberLock.pdf.
Repaircare can be used to fix rotten timber and is available from Resene ColorShops.
• Your subbies’ health and safety packages can be integrated into your Builda Price software so everyone talks to each other. This is just the start for our integrated solution. We will continue to build upon this over the next few months and years as we invest locally for local solutions that work for your business.
In the future, we see one integrated operating software solution for builders, and we are keen to help bring that to the industry.
Book a demo, at www.buildaprice.co.nz, to see how far we have come along this path. And remember, if you want local support, we really appreciate you supporting local.
Darren Wallbank Builda Price. Builda Price is a NZCB National Partner and was developed to help builders quickly and accurately price jobs along with tracking their progress and costs live on the job. Quoting, Time-sheeting, Job Tracking, bill processing and Project Management (shortly) on mobile and desktop. For more information visit www.buildaprice.co.nz
12 JUN, 2023
Exceed Homes Southland are proud to be celebrating 20 years in business this year.
They have built a reputation for building quality homes at affordable prices and are Southland’s number one transportable home specialist.
General Manager Jade McNamara says; “Over the years we have developed superior building and delivery practices that go above and beyond, to ensure a strong, quality product.
if you’re after something more unique.”
Exceed Homes is part of the New Zealand Certified Builders Association (NZCB) and all their builds come with a Halo 10-year residential guarantee which gives clients piece of mind.
So, for your next home, or home away from home, give the team at Exceed Homes a call, you can be sure they will exceed your expectations!
Exceed Homes general manager Jade McNamara.
“Exceed Homes has been Southland’s number one trusted brand for the last 20 years.
“We are committed to bringing your design to life from our extensive range of house plans from a one bedroom self-contained modern unit through to a spacious four bedroom home perfect for a family home or a holiday home.
“There is also the option of bringing your own plan to create a one-off build
KIAH RADCLIFFE
It was a weekend full of fun and being treated like a VIP for Tasman Homes building apprentice Charlette Bone, at the New Zealand Certified Builders Association Apprentice Challenge in Christchurch last month.
The mother-of-two won the Nelson regional heat of the Apprentice Challenge earlier in the year and attended the finals on May 27 and 28, the only female apprentice to make it.
She came out with a Personality Award and $3000.
Though it was a “funny story” of why she even attended in the first place.
“There were not that many competitors going into the Nelson Marlborough one [heat] and a couple of the fellas from work were going to do it and they kind of needed a boost in numbers.”
So Bone thought “why not?” — it would give her good experience.
She had to front up with a CV, an introduction letter about herself, a portfolio of three jobs she had completed, a written speech and be prepared for an exam.
As soon as she arrived in Christchurch, Bone was
whisked off to the first event of the weekend... the exam.
She presented her speech to over 100 people on why her hands were her favourite tool, and created a unicorn truck-and-trailer unit (to “represent the girls”) at the building challenge. All of which culminated in a weekend that. Bone said, was a “really good time”.
Bone didn’t start off in the trades, she originally
worked in hospitality for 18 years before deciding it wasn’t getting her anywhere. Being a single mother of two young girls, she decided she wanted to “better herself.
“It wasn’t going to get me anywhere that the girls and I could have a good, foreseeable future, like you know, do fun stuff.” Bone asked herself what else she loved to do and said building was it. She is now in the second year of her apprenticeship.
She was completing her course through the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT). She also did a pre-trade course as well as a Level 3 carpentry course.
She’s not in any rush to finish the course and said she’s happy to complete it when she can.
“It’s probably the bookwork that slows me down, like obviously, I work full time, so I get lots of practical, but just having the two girls, I’m still going to be a mama. It’s my number one priority.”
If it takes her two years or more to get the paperwork signed off. Bone doesn’t mind, and it shows her girls she has patience. After her weekend in Christchurch, Bone was stoked with all that she had achieved and “pretty proud” of herself. A tradeswoman who is finally in her element.
“Over the years we have developed superior building and delivery practices that go above and beyond, to ensure a strong, quality product”
Taupō Times, Taupō King Country 09 June 2023
The national final took place at the NZCB’s annual conference in Christchurch on May 26 and 27, when 21 regional finalists from across the country competed for the top prize.
Apprentices were judged on examples of their work, dedication towards their apprenticeship, and a presentation to over 500 NZCB member builders attending the conference.
Merwyn won a $5000 prize package from Paslode NZ.
Taupō & Turangi Weekender, Taupō Central 01 June 2023
a solid pipeline of work for the construction sector at a time it is facing a downturn, industry advocates say.
In the Budget, the Government announced that it had allocated funding to build an extra 3000 public homes by June 2025.
There was also funding for 322 new homes for Maori, and for 400 relocatable cabins to house people displaced by February’s weather events.
The new public houses were expected to cost $3.1 billion in capital investment, on top of $465 million in operational costs.
Housing Minister Megan Woods said the housing shortage remained a critical issue for New Zealanders, and was a priority for the Government to fix.
It had been building more public and transitional housing than any Government in decades, and was not slowing down, she said.
“The 3000 additional places will provide long-term, secure housing to those who need it most, and continue the pace towards turning the housing crisis around, and delivering more housing.”
Over the past five-and-a-half years, the Government had laid the groundwork for massive housing system change, unlocked land, and invested heavily in infrastructure like pipes and roads to enable more new housing, Woods said.
But, for many, memories of the failure to meet the original KiwiBuild targets lingered, and there were questions about whether the industry had the capacity to deliver what had been promised.
New Zealand Certified Builders chief executive Malcolm Fleming said more funding to increase the public housing build was most welcome for the industry, and the timing was good.
There had been a reduction in demand for new homes, with consent numbers now trending down, and builders were pivoting to renovations and additions, he said.
“But this provides a good pipeline of work for the residential sector, and will be beneficial for builders, designers and those involved in supplying products for homebuilding.”
The industry would have the capacity to service the additional building, he said.
“We have been under the pump for the last three years during the boom, and the industry was able to meet demand at record levels.
“Now, we are coming out of the boom to a position where we do have extra capacity, so this pipeline of public housing work provided will replace the drop in demand for private new builds.”
He did not foresee any problems in meeting the public housing build goal, and it would be aided by the improvement in building product supply chains, Fleming said.
He was on the Critical Materials Taskforce, and it was not hearing the product shortage stories that were common last year, he said.
“There are some products that you can’t walk into a store and buy off the shelf, and that need to be prepared for.
“But timber, plasterboard, steel, standard products are mostly available, especially with foresight. There are no supply issues any more.”
Building Industry Federation chief executive Julien Leys said the combination of lots of money being put into public housing, and the $6b resilience plan for infrastructure would help keep the current construction pipeline going.
Demand in the private residential sector had slowed, so the Budget allocation offered the industry support to counteract that, and ensured momentum in the drive to boost public housing supply, he said.
“People who are looking for private work will now be able to find work with Kāinga Ora instead, so it will soak up that extra capacity, and dampen down recessionary pressures for the construction sector.
“This will give builders, sub-contractors, tradies, and suppliers confidence to continue investing, and taking on new projects, and hiring new people.”
In recent years, finding and keeping skilled workers had been a problem for the industry, but the huge increase in migration would go some way to helping with that, Leys said.
“While we don’t know how many of those migrants will go into the construction industry, even a few thousand of the 65,000 plus migrants that arrived in the year to March will boost worker numbers.”
The public housing funding would also provide support for apprentices, who tended to be the first to leave the industry in a downturn, he said.
“The apprenticeship programme has been increased in recent years, and it would be a pity to lose those workers because of a lack of work, and opportunities. A solid pipeline of work will help to prevent that.”
Habitat for Humanity spokesperson Nic Greene said the announcement was a strong signal the community housing sector were valued partners in the drive to help all New Zealanders secure a decent place to live.
It went some way to addressing aspects of the housing deficit and would maintain the build momentum, but there was more that needed to be done, he said.
“We urge those in government, now and in the future, to prioritise funding and policy for all types of housing.
“What we need is certainty and security to enable a longer-term approach to resolving our housing problem. One that goes beyond the current election cycle, and which focuses on the mechanisms to enable us to deliver homes for those in housing need.”
Habitat worked with families in housing need every day, and was happy to get stuck in and do the hard mahi, but it could not do it alone, he said.
“We also need the collective might of government, business and the community to resolve the critical issue of housing.”
Canterbury’s Alex Erickson won the coveted title, sponsored by ITM, while Jared Menzies from Tauranga won second place.
The final took place at NZCB’s annual conference in Christchurch on May 26-27, where 21 regional finalists from across the country competed for the top prize.
Apprentices were judged on examples of their work, dedication towards their apprenticeship, and a presentation to over 500 NZCB member builders attending the conference.
Alex won a $10,000 prize package from ITM and the Ken Read Memorial Trophy, Jared took home a $7,000 prize package from Milwaukee Tools NZ and Daniel left with prize package from Paslode NZ worth $5000.
Merwyn also won the Great Apprentice Race, where pairs of apprentices build and race a trike and trailer, along with his teammate Zhuoming “Kevin” Fu.
Weekend Sun,
Tauranga 02
Tauranga’s Jared Menzies has scored second place as the top carpentry apprentice in the country, at the New Zealand Certified Builders Apprentice Challenge sponsored by ITM.
Canterbury’s Alex Erickson won the coveted first place title of top carpentry apprentice, and Daniel Merwyn from Taupō came in third.
The NZCB Apprentice Challenge National Final took place at NZCB’s annual conference in Christchurch on May 26-27, where 21 regional finalists from across the nation competed for the top prize.
There are no longer supply issues with building products, Certified Builders chief executive Malcolm Fleming says.
Murphy O’Neal has been trying to introduce a new way of building homes into New Zealand for more than 10 years, but he has encountered obstacles at every step of the way.
His crusade began after he migrated to Auckland from the United States, and discovered how much it cost to build houses in his new country. He was certain there was a better, more cost-effective solution.
That led O’Neal, who has a background in construction and environmental products, to develop a transportable modular building system which uses recyclable aluminium components and aerospace fasteners.
Weather-tight, seismic-proof buildings can be made with it, units can be added or removed, and traditional building techniques, including cladding systems, can be incorporated.
O’Neal says the Adaptable Structures system can be loosely described as a cross between Meccano, Lego, and Ikea, but it is fully scalable open architecture that anyone could build with simply.
The materials used are all made in New Zealand, and 99% of the materials are appraised or used in construction today, he says.
“But it is a different system of building, and we have to specify every product being used to gain consent to build from councils, so we test everything. It is costly, and time-consuming.
“Now the catch 22 – nobody gives assurance, only appraisal. Both Branz and Codemark are a system of appraisals, but they aren’t an assurance.
“That means there is little security from liability, and councils are risk averse.”
The system is not set up for innovation, and it favours large corporations doing R&D, and developing new products or importing them, he says.
“There are not many small players because the system is so controlled, and there is little engagement with, or support for, them.
“Find a small brand that is in every home that is Branz-appraised and allowed to be used. Pretty much every one is a large multinational corporation.”
O’Neal is frustrated, but is not giving up, and now has 60m² of proof of production and functionality units in the Adaptable Structures warehouse, and a committed team working on the system.
Napier businessman Baden Rawle is another small player who got fed up with the “excessive” costs involved in building a house, and decided to import prefab homes and materials from China.
It took him over five years, and nearly left him broke, but last year he obtained building consents to build steel-frame homes using prefab materials from China that meet the NZ Building Code.
The use of imported materials, and cost-savings from the construction methodology which reduces build time, cuts the cost of a typical build by about 30%, he says.
“It was a struggle to get the materials approved though. They had been approved in Australia, but I had to prove they met the Building Code requirements here.
“A council can’t deny a building consent to products that meet the code, but as the products are an ‘alternative solution’ it can require further information, and there was huge scrutiny of that information before the products were approved.”
Rawle has twice secured consents to build houses with his imported materials in Napier, and he is about to apply for consent for a build in Cromwell. With each consent, the products he used went through an assessment process again.
Getting the first consent from the Napier City
Council was a difficult process, but getting the second one was straightforward, and a similar pattern is likely with other councils, he says.
“Councils need to be diligent in this area, but the system does favour established product suppliers, like Fletchers, who have a hold on the market, especially as people don’t like change.
“But the price points of the products I’m using can’t be beat, and that is starting to get through to people, so interest is increasing.”
The difficulties in getting new building products, and processes, approved has long been recognised as an issue in the industry, but the Gib board shortage last year made it a matter of public concern.
Certified Builders chief executive Malcolm Fleming says part of the problem is that the cost of setting up a full service in a small market like New Zealand, which has some well-established suppliers in it, is not worth it for many international players.
The product quality, service, and ongoing support provided by the established manufacturers and suppliers is at a high level, he says.
“That contributes to a lot of brand loyalty, and designers, specifiers, and builders tend to be gun shy about using new products, and the leaky homes crisis also left many risk averse.
“On top of that, it takes time and money to go through Branz certification, and various approval processes. It all makes getting a foothold in the market very difficult for new players.”
The industry desperately wants to see more new, and alternative, products on the market, whether international or local, Fleming says.
“If there was recognition of a certain international certification standard for new products that could be aligned with CodeMark, it would cut back the approval process currently required, and make it easier for new entrants.”
While that is not happening, there have been some positive developments as a result of the Gib board shortage, he says.
“It led MBIE to tell all the Building Consent Authorities they had the latitude to consider alternative products to Gib, and it jolted those authorities into realising they do have flexibility in this space.
“The establishment of the Critical Materials Taskforce to prevent building product shortages bringing the industry to a standstill will also help pave the way for alternative products.”
When the Commerce Commission released its report into the building supplies industry in December, it said competition would improve if it was easier for new products to be introduced.
It recommended more clear compliance pathways for a broader range of key building supplies should be created, and that ways to remove impediments to product substitution should be explored.
The Government recently agreed to both recommendations, and tasked the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment with the work.
MBIE building policy manager Amy Moorhead says there is already a significant amount of work under way that will help address the issues identified.
“We have progressed short-term actions, and will leverage existing work programmes to help deliver further improvements to building products approved for use.”
That included the introduction of a new certification scheme for offsite manufacturing, changes to the CodeMark scheme to help new products show compliance, and new product
information regulations to improve the use of alternative products.
The Government is also reviewing the building consent system to tackle barriers to competition for building products, and released its reform options paper on Thursday, Moorhead said.
“It puts forward some options for removing impediments to product substitutions and variations, and MBIE has started public consultation and wants feedback on the paper.”
But some believe more should be done.
ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden has said that, if elected, the party would automatically allow building materials approved by jurisdictions with high-quality regulators and similar seismic situations, such as Japan and California, to be used in New Zealand.
The party would also require councils to accept any “equivalent material” certified by MBIE for use in building projects, she said.
And 2degrees founder Tex Edwards, who fronts lobby group Monopoly Watch, says the current incarnation of Branz should be disbanded, and the organisation should then be reformed.
“It needs a completely new start to become an organisation which works for consumers, not the incumbent industry provider.
“That would improve processes, and allow for better use of the industry levy which funds Branz.”
The case of Elephant board, which has not been able to break through 3% market share in plasterboard, and global plasterboard Knauf’s exit from New Zealand, shows why more reform in this area is necessary, he says.
Product competition is not just about price, but time to install and productivity, he says. “The cost of labour drops when you have products that are competitive on all fronts.
“But New Zealand uses Ferrari construction techniques and expects to get Toyota outcomes, and that is why we build houses, including entry level houses, for four times international best practice costs.”
New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) would like to thank the following companies, our Strategic Partners (corporate sponsors), who play a vital part in assisting to cover costs for our members personal development/training through NZCB regional seminars, NZCB Annual Conference and monthly live Zoom webinars. Their support also assists to cover expenses with our marketing and communications.
NZCB is proud to partner with the following companies, who are aligned with the Association to bring our members discounted services and products.
information on these services and products can be found under the Member Benefits section, on the NZCB members’ only Toolshed website, www.nzcb.nz/members/member-benefits/ or by contacting Kirsty at the NZCB National Support Office on 0800 237 843 or kirsty@nzcb.nz.
New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) is proud to partner with the following companies who align with our Association and give NZCB members access to a wealth of expertise and support throughout New Zealand.
COMPANY
National Partners Premium
APL Window Solutions
Bunnings Ltd
Comfortech Building Performance Solutions
Gerard Roofs
PlaceMakers
Red Stag Timber
Resene Construction Systems
WEBSITE
COMPANY
WEBSITE
Hilti (New Zealand) Ltd www.hilti.com
HomePlus
www.homeplus.co.nz
www.aplnz.co.nz
www.bunnings.co.nz
www.pinkbatts.co.nz
www.gerardroofs.co.nz
www.placemakers.co.nz
www.redstag.co.nz
www.reseneconstruction.co.nz
National Partners Professional
Milwaukee Tool New Zealand
Resene Paints Ltd
Sika (NZ) Ltd
National Partners Standard
Abodo Wood Ltd
Altus NZ Ltd
ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions
New Zealand
Bahco
Bowers Brothers Concrete Ltd
Builda Price (2016) Ltd
Connected Spaces
CS For Doors Ltd
CSR Building Products (NZ) Ltd
ECKO Fastening Systems
FMI Building Innovation
Franklin Plumbing and Builders Supplies Ltd
FreeUp
Futurewood
GCH Aviation Ltd
GTEE.co.nz
Harvey Norman Commercial
www.milwaukeetools.co.nz
www.resene.co.nz
www.nzl.sika.com
www.abodo.co.nz
www.altus.co.nz
www.assaabloy.co.nz
www.bahco.co.nz
www.bowersbrothers.co.nz
www.buildaprice.co.nz
www.connectedspacesjoinery.co.nz
www.csfordoors.co.nz
www.csr.co.nz
www.ecko.co.nz
www.aslnz.co.nz
www.franklins.co.nz
www.freeup.co.nz
www.futurewood.nz
www.gchaviation.com
www.gtee.co.nz
www.harveynormancommercial.co.nz
Independent Building Supplies www.ibs.co.nz
INTAKS NZ Ltd
James Hardie New Zealand
www.intaks.co.nz
www.jameshardie.co.nz
JSC Timber www.jsctimber.co.nz
Kingspan Thermakraft Ltd
KLC Ltd
Kopine
Laminex New Zealand
www.thermakraft.co.nz
www.klc.co.nz
www.kopine.co.nz
www.laminexnewzealand.co.nz
Marley New Zealand Ltd www.marley.co.nz
Marshall Innovations Ltd www.mwnz.com
MiTek New Zealand Ltd www.miteknz.co.nz
My Smart Office Ltd mysmartoffice.co.nz
Open2view www.open2view.co.nz
Pacific Steel (NZ) Ltd www.pacificsteel.co.nz
Paslode New Zealand www.paslode.co.nz
Pro Clima New Zealand Ltd www.proclima.co.nz
Productspec Ltd www.productspec.net
Proven Systems Ltd (DVS) www.dvs.co.nz
Red LBP Ltd www.redlbp.co.nz
Red QS Ltd www.redqs.nz
Rosenfeld Kidson & Co. Ltd rosenfeldkidson.co.nz
Schneider Electric www.pdl.co.nz
Simx Ltd www.simx.co.nz
Soudal Ltd www.soudal.co.nz
Superhome Movement www.superhome.co.nz
The Trades Coach www.tradescoach.co.nz
Tile Space
Viking Roofspec
www.tiles.co.nz
www.vikingroofspec.co.nz
Warmup NZ Ltd www.warmup.co.nz
YourQS Ltd www.yourqs.co.nz
Remember when you started out and someone gave you a chance?
You’ve come a long way to become a great builder, picking up new skills on each project. To ensure we continue to lead the industry with quality standards the next generation needs your kind of experience. The NZCB Apprentice Network is a programme designed to support you, your business and your apprentice to an unrivaled level.
nzcb.nz/apprenticeships
