Virtual tours revolutionise construction documentation Entrepreneurial tradesman Rob Horrocks is pioneering the use of 3D and 360-degree scanning tech in New Zealand’s residential construction industry. Like Google Street View for inside your pre-lined walls, 3D Three60 uses state-of-the-art Matterport camera equipment with infrared and lidar scanners to create high-definition virtual tours that archive, measure, and […]

New Zealand’s sand shortage grows, and demand is not slowing down. The crisis has been building over recent years, but by Christmas 2024, Auckland had run out of sand for construction. Sand is a critical resource in New Zealand’s construction industry, used not only in concrete but as bedding for roads and pipes and in […]

In May 2025, the Auckland War Memorial Museum was closed while specialists removed asbestos that had been discovered in the roofing of the original 1929 part of the building during renewal work. Auckland Museum Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive David Reeves said it had been a challenging few weeks, but the community looked forward to partially […]

A Shift to ‘Whole of House’ Insulation Compliance The Government has unveiled its anticipated plans to overhaul national insulation laws. It aims to cut the cost of the average new build by up to $15,000. “I’ve heard clearly from the industry that the current one-size-fits-all approach to insulation requirements is needlessly driving up costs,” Minister […]

When US President Donald Trump announced a spree of extra import tariffs in April 2025, New Zealand wood exporters breathed a sigh of relief. Wood products were temporarily exempt from the initial tariff wave due to a new trade investigation into US lumber imports. Albeit temporary, the chief executive of the Wood Processors and Manufacturers’ […]

There were 33,530 new homes consented in Aotearoa in the year ended May 2025, down 3.8% compared with the year ended May 2024, according to new figures released by Stats NZ. “The record for the annual number of new homes consented was 51,015 in the year ended May 2022. While consent numbers fell sharply after […]