20 years ago:
• Debate on a TV advertising campaign at the NZMBF’s Conference ‘94 brought out the “dinosaur” in older conference participants. Younger builders continually took issue with their older counterparts who didn’t see the need to be touting their services on television.
Taranaki Master Builders’ Association member Roger Jones summed up their stance by referring to them as “dinosaurs”. He said they had to accept that in today’s market people had to be prepared to stand on a soapbox and tell the world what they had to offer.
15 years ago:
• Arthur Grant of Dunedin was elected president of the RMBF, succeeding Francis Yates of Gisborne.
Mr Grant had been involved in the construction industry for 25 years, specialising in food processing industry projects.
He said the Federation needed to do more to raise the profile of its commercial builder members and, in particular, awareness of the confidence the developers of major projects could have in engaging them.
10 years ago:
• RMBF chief executive Chris Preston reported that 2003 had been a great year for the organisation.
Key points he made at the joint RMBF/NZIOB conference in Christchurch included:
• the RMBF’s market share rising,
• Master Build Services having issued a record number of guarantees,
• the 2003 House of the Year attracting a record number of entries,
• membership numbers throughout the 22 Associations remaining steady
at 1600, and
• the RMBF acting as the industry’s leading body, providing sound advice to the Government on the Building Bill and weathertightness issues.
5 years ago:
• Registered Master Builders shared Minister for Building and Construction Maurice Williamson’s view on the need for greater consumer protection on building and housing projects.
The Minister said the Government was looking for a system that would provide warranty-type products to consumers to ensure a transparent resolution for all parties involved in a building project should something go wrong.
RMBF chief executive Warwick Quinn said the Federation had a product in the market with its Master Build Guarantee for 19 years that did exactly that for members’ clients.
RMBF president Brent Mettrick also agreed with the Minister’s calls for a reduction of the bureaucracy and red tape that had been weighing down the construction industry and, consequently, increasing costs.
