Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
KiwiBuild: Govt signals interest in prefab manufacturing
Prefab manufacturing of housing will be a "game changer" in New Zealand, Housing Minister Phil Twyford says.
Phil Twyford Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Mr Twyford announced today the government will formally invite expressions of interest in off-site construction for KiwiBuild houses - from companies both here and overseas.
KiwiBuild is designed to help first home buyers, especially in Auckland, get into the property market. The aim is to build 100,000 affordable homes over the next 10 years.
Mr Twyford hoped that more than half of the KiwiBuild homes would be built in off-site factories.
"High tech manufacturing of homes, as is done in Europe and North America, could allow us to build KiwiBuild homes at scale and pace," he said in a statement.
However, he said it would take a few years to establish a factory line large enough to build the required number of prefab homes to get on top of the housing crisis.
However National's spokesperson for Housing and Urban Development Judith Collins has accused the Housing Minister of creating confusion and bringing the construction sector to a grinding halt.
"After six years and eight months he can't answer basic questions like how the industry would be funded, how the industry and buyers would get around bank lending restrictions, how he would free up land to build houses on and how he would get around his government's immigration chaos to find the construction workforce needed," said Ms Collins.
"His only hope is that the private sector he has so consistently disparaged will have the answers.
"Mr Twyford has spent years claiming he would build 100,000 affordable houses for New Zealanders, no ifs or buts. Now his KiwiBuild pipedream has descended into farce," Ms Collins said.
The government will announce the details of large-scale urban developments for KiwiBuild homes in the next few weeks.
There are eight Auckland locations the govenment is currently doing due diligence on.
RNZ
New Zealand's public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.
Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.
Alastair Thompson: COP29 Erasure Story Update – All's Well That Ends Well
Binoy Kampmark: Thank You For Emitting - The Hypocrisies Of COP29
Alastair Thompson: COP29 Erasure – COP29 Media Center Crippled
Ramzy Baroud: End Of Empathy - Did The Gaza Genocide Render The UN Irrelevant?
Ian Powell: Physician Associates - A ‘Solution’ Desperately Searching For A Problem
Binoy Kampmark: Natural Resources And Palestinian Sovereignty - Israel’s Further Isolation