20 years ago — August 1998:
• Builders were required to pay a subcontractor some money owing even if they had not been paid the full amount owed by the employer under the head contract.
That was the outcome of a further High Court hearing on the Registered Master Builders Federation’s pay-if-paid clause (5c) of its standard subcontract form SC1.
The ruling by Judge Salmon confirmed an earlier ruling by Judge Patterson on the validity of the pay-if-paid clause. This ruling agreed that if the builder was not paid by the head contractor he was not required to pay subcontractors.
However, the judge said the clause did not allow the contractor to avoid paying a subcontractor until he had received the full amount owing under the head contract.
15 years ago — August 2003:
• Botany Town Centre in East Tamaki, Auckland, was recognised as a world-class shopping centre at an international awards ceremony in Las Vegas.
It was one of eight award winners in the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) awards for innovative design and construction.
The ISCS is based in New York, and is the global trade association of the shopping centre industry, with more than 40,000 members in 77 countries.
The centre, which was then New Zealand’s largest-ever retail development, won its award in the Projects over 500,000 sq ft (46,450 sq m) category
10 years ago — August 2008:
• BRANZ announced the appointment of the then current Registered Master Builders Federation chief executive Pieter Burghout as its new chief executive officer.
BRANZ chairman Graham Coe said Mr Burghout, previously the chief executive of the BCITO, had a wealth of experience in the construction industry, and would be a great asset to the organisation.
“Pieter has proven to be a fantastic champion of the construction industry, and we look forward to him bringing his energy and vision to this role,” Mr Coe said.
“He has played a crucial role in a number of key areas of industry reform in the past three years, such as Building Code reform, the introduction of builder licensing, and the nationwide debate around housing affordability.”
5 years ago — August 2013:
• Long-standing Registered Master Builders Federation member Mike Fox was honoured with a Life Membership by RMBF president David Fabish.
Joining the Wellington Association as a probationary member in February 1982, his original company was M J Fox Construction. Twelve months later he was confirmed as a full member.
In 2004, Mr Fox’s interest in politics drew him to Victoria University where, for the following 18 months, he took papers in political science.
This stood him in good stead when he started his involvement with the Registered Master Builders Federation as junior vice-president, becoming vice president in 2004 and national president a year later.
