Government looks to allow more overseas materials in bid to bring down building costs
Photo:
RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The government hopes opening up the ability for building companies to buy more overseas material will cut down the price of construction.
On Monday it will release its building product specifications document, which will list international standards for products like plasterboard, cladding, windows and external doors.
The aim of the change is to allow more overseas building materials into New Zealand's construction sector.
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said the products had been given "the green light" to end "costly monopolies".
He said there were are thousands of high performing products that had been tested against international standards, but faced uptake barriers in New Zealand because they had not been specifically tested against "our own standards".
"This is just the beginning of our work to open the door to more building products, lower the cost of homes and turbo charge the construction sector and there will be more to come," he said.
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