Building Better Homes in NZ: Who Should be Driving the Change?

Home builders in NZ must abide by the New Zealand Building Code but, in most cases, there’s no incentive to build beyond the minimum code requirements. A report released by BRANZ in June this year--Bulletin 650; Building Beyond Code Minimum—has provided plenty of food for thought regarding who should drive better-performing buildings in New Zealand. BRANZ is an independent research organisation, providing impartial, evidence-based advice on issues within construction and building in NZ. Today, we’re examining the findings of this report and what they mean for the home building industry in NZ.
 
The Current Building Code
Currently, most new homes in New Zealand are built to meet the minimum performance criteria set out by the New Zealand Building Code. This minimum code means “the poorest performing home that can be legally built”. What people often do not realise is that the minimum requirements are often far below what is currently accepted in Australia, parts of Europe, and the UK.

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