20 years ago:
• Work was underway to combine history, food and fashion in a new shopping development in Wellington’s Old Bank Arcade and Chambers.
Four historic buildings in Wellington’s CBD, including the former Bank of New Zealand building, were being restored by Australian-based developer Ipoh Ltd.
The $20 million development included creating a shopping mall containing 40 upmarket retails shops, cafes and restaurants.
Project manager Jim Barrett said the project would have a significant impact on the Wellington retail sector, attracting economic benefits and lifting the standard of retail in the city.
15 years ago:
• Minister of Commerce Lianne Dalziel opened the 2003 Registered Master Builders Federation conference with promising words for the future of the building industry and New Zealand home owners.
The Minister confirmed the release of the Building Industry Authority draft solution addressing the issue of treated and untreated timber, and outlined the Government’s actions towards mandatory registration for building professionals.
The Minister, who assumed responsibility for the Building Act in January 2003 following the leaky buildings controversy, said some felt she’d been handed a hospital pass, but she saw it as more of a challenge.
10 years ago:
• Iconic New Zealand building company Lockwood launched a new range of EcoSmart homes to address increasing concerns about climate change and the impact construction has on the environment.
The first prototype in the range, the Gullwing EcoSmart showhome, was officially opened by Leader of the Opposition John Key.
Lockwood chief executive Bryce Heard said moving into eco-homes was a natural progression for the company which was already well known in New Zealand for building natural solid timber houses.
“Lockwood homes are already built using timber from fast growing plantation trees which absorb more carbon than slower growing indigenous forests,” Mr Heard said.
“Harvesting plantations for solid wood and replanting provides the best environmental outcome. Solid plantation timber is a sustainable renewable building material.”
5 years ago:
• Auckland’s skills-hungry building sector was to get a new source of work-ready tradespeople and apprentices.
Leading private tertiary provider New Zealand Management Academies (NZMA) was fast-tracking additional construction training into Auckland, in partnership with experienced construction educator the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec).
From May 2013, NZMA was to deliver Wintec’s Level 4 Certificate in Building, accredited by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The 40-week programme was an ideal lead-in to a building apprenticeship, and graduates were likely to be in hot demand among construction employers.
