Building product access ‘good step forward'

Otago Daily Times

30-07-2025

Dunedin builder Sacha Gray installs plasterboard at a building site. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN
Access to overseas building products is a "lifeline" for the construction industry, but it could still take time for designers to risk trying new materials, a Dunedin builder says.
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk announced last week quality overseas building products including plasterboard, cladding systems, windows and external doors had been "given the green light" for New Zealand construction, which would end "costly monopolies" on a small number of products currently used in the country.
New Zealand Certified Builders Otago president Sacha Gray said the announcement was "a really good step forward", but there were still questions to be answered.
"We feel like we've been given a lifeline, but we're not quite sure where we grabbed that lifeline from."
The New Zealand market was "very limited" and the cost to import certified products was prohibitive for a lot of people, Mr Gray said.
Suppliers were also finding it harder than they had thought to convince builders and designers to change over from products they were already familiar with — even if it would be cheaper.
The products that got used in a build were mainly determined by the architects and designers, he said.
"It might take some time for it to actually sort of break into our good old Kiwi culture of the tried and true.
"There's some awesome building products out there now that have been moving through, but it's very hard to get people to take a risk ... nobody wants to get caught with the wrong materials.
"If it's something that people haven't used and they're unsure about, that's where I think it'll take time."
He also questioned who would import overseas products into the country and who would stock them.
The industry was hopeful the changes would create more choice and bring costs down, he said.
"So I suppose we all sort of wait with bated breath."
Mr Penk said it was 50% more expensive to build a standalone home in New Zealand than in Australia.
"That is frankly outrageous.
"These changes have the potential to reduce total building costs by thousands of dollars when building a home."
There were "thousands" of well-made and high-performing products that had been tested against international standards but faced barriers for uptake in New Zealand because they had not been tested against the country's own standards.
The changes would make it easier to use plasterboard manufactured in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States, he said.
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