Proposals for KiwiBuild off-site factories to be sought
The Government will invite companies to express their interest in setting up or expanding off-site manufacturing
factories to make KiwiBuild homes, Housing and Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today.
“Cabinet has decided the Government will seek interest from both local and overseas companies to come forward with their
plans,” Phil Twyford says.
“One of the challenges for KiwiBuild is there isn’t the scale and capacity in the construction sector to build the
number of houses New Zealand needs.
“Since KiwiBuild launched in November, we’ve been approached by a number of highly capable international and domestic
companies who are already using innovative methods such as off-site manufacturing to build quality houses quicker and
more efficiently.
“High tech manufacturing of homes, as is done in Europe and North America, could allow us to build KiwiBuild homes at
scale and pace. Off-site manufacturing is significantly more productive so more homes can be built from the available
workforce. It will help address some of the constraints the construction sector faces until we can train enough local
builders.
“Innovative new products used in off-site manufacturing such as cross laminated timber can dramatically speed up the
time it takes to build houses – an estimated two to four times faster.
“Housing NZ’s use of locally sourced and manufactured cross laminated timber has resulted in their houses being built in
four to five months instead of 14-18 months.
“PrefabNZ said earlier this year that off-site factory-built houses and apartments could see more than 7000 additional
homes build every year from 2020.
“Ultimately this could mean we see large-scale factories established in New Zealand, working alongside existing off-site
manufacturing companies and creating more jobs, more skills and more houses.
“Off-site manufacturing will be a game changer for New Zealand housing,” Phil Twyford says.