Action needed, not more consultation

new-zealand-national-party

Wed Mar 12 2003 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Action needed, not more consultation

Wednesday, 12 March 2003, 3:44 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

The release of a "discussion paper" before the Building Industry Authority (BIA) has done even one thing to deal with the rotting home crisis shows the continuing failure of the Government and the BIA to get to grips with the problem, says National's Housing spokesperson Wayne Mapp.

"The Government's discussion paper on the regulation of New Zealand's building industry has some useful ideas, but the Building Code still allows untreated timber to be used in external framing. The BIA has not even done an assessment of the scale of the problem of rotting homes.

"The public has no confidence in the BIA and it's leadership after the way they handled the rotting homes disaster. The BIA consistently tried to cover up the size and scale of the issue, ignoring the problem while spending tens of thousands of dollars on spin-doctors and media advice.

"That is why the National Party has expressed no confidence in the leadership of the BIA after revelations they ignored warnings from staff members.

"For any new regulatory regime it's important to maintain a fair balance between protecting consumers and imposing new costs. Obviously the Building Code needs improvement and the industry skill base must be improved. But the proposal for insurance or bonds could add thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home, putting it out of the reach of many New Zealanders.

"National is also disappointed with the timing of the report, released just a week or so before the Select Committee has finished its inquiry.

"Thousands of homes have already been built while the Government refused to admit there was a problem. Now it's time to see some action," said Dr Mapp.

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