Risky Stunts Prompt Safety Concerns Trespassing teens have recently shed an unexpected light on crane safety in New Zealand’s booming construction sector. In early 2025, a 16-year-old scaled a crane at the Seascape construction site in downtown Auckland, filming themselves more than 220 metres above the ground without any harness or safety gear. Seascape, still […]

Why Weathertightness Still Matters External water ingress is often a contributing factor in most building failures, and avoiding rain damage can be one of the most challenging tasks that designers and builders face. Our nation’s history reminds us that designing for weathertightness should begin long before many other construction details are considered. Building properties right […]

There were 2,418 new homes consented in April 2025, a 17% decrease compared with April 2024, according to figures recently released by Statistics New Zealand. “The drop in the number of new homes consented in April 2025 may have been impacted by the timing of Easter weekend and Anzac Day, with people potentially taking time […]

The Government has allocated $100 million to be lent to developers for housing infrastructure and aims to streamline the Resource Management Act, which currently restricts the availability of land for development. Housing and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop announced the suite of changes aimed at accelerating outer-city housing development. “The government is committed to letting our […]

Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at the University of Canterbury, Dr Brian Guo lists three adjectives that will shape the future of engineering: digital, sustainable, and resilient. “It’s a pretty awesome time to be in the field!” he exclaims. “In a nutshell, the future of engineering is all about […]

Government Introduces Self-Certification Scheme for Trusted Builders The Government has gone ahead with their new scheme to allow trusted builders to sign off on their own work. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk announced that, in turn, the government would also set a mandatory target to tackle building inspection wait times. Inspection targets will come […]