Takapuna BID appoints Andrew Hill as chairperson
Andrew Hill has been appointed chairperson of the Takapuna Beach Business Association
A Takapuna local and chartered accountant, Mr Hill is a partner at BDO, based in Takapuna. Continue →
Author Curreen
Property values rising faster than pre-COVID levels
The CoreLogic House Price Index (HPI) for October has found nationwide property value growth accelerated more than any other month this year, increasing by 1.3%
Property values have remained robust since the onset of the economic downturn catalysed by the arrival of COVID-19 and the resulting lockdown in late March. Continue →
Top five tips to Unified Engineering success
Head of Pacific for AVEVA, Damien McDade, shares his top five tips on how and why your Unified Engineering approach is critical to success
In many of today’s Capital Projects, there is a disconnect between Front End Engineering Design (otherwise known as FEED) and detailed engineering design. Continue →
Return of LVRs a cruel blow to first home buyers
First home buyers (FHB) took a record 25% of purchases this last quarter, helped by the removal of LVRs earlier this year, however this is set to change as the Reserve Bank considers their re-introduction
LVRs were introduced back in 2013 to cool the property market by slowing down liberal lending. Continue →
Does Auckland CBD have a future?
What has hit the central city hardest is not the economic fall-out from Covid-19, but the City Rail Link and other major infrastructure projections which have effectively closed off large parts of the CBD, says Director of New Zealand Mortgages & Securities (NZMS) James Kellow
In many ways Auckland’s CBD is trailing behind the city fringe, but property values are holding up well with plenty of development and investment underway. Continue →
How structural insulated panels could build New Zealand’s future
With the quality, speed and cost of New Zealand construction under the spotlight, a building system claiming to deliver on all three deserves a close look, according to researchers at BRANZ
BRANZ materials scientist Anna Walsh has set up a project to look at the system which is based on structural insulated panels, or SIPs. Continue →
Stop electrical fires and stay ahead of regulations with new AFDD tech
With the rise of remote working, many Kiwis are using more electricity-dependent devices at home, often plugged into unattended multi-plugs, which can place a greater burden on switchboards and increase the risk of electrical fires
There are approximately 5,000 building fires in New Zealand every year, with about 1,000 being electricity-oriented. Continue →
World’s most expensive property markets in 2020
A study by StockApps finds the most expensive places to buy and rent in the world and identifies the fastest growing housing and rental markets
Rex Pascual – StockApps
Most of the global residential property market was enjoying a rosy outlook for the rest of the year before COVID-19 shrouded the world in a blanket of uncertainty. Continue →
Why Digital Twins are taking the construction industry by storm
Digital Twin Technology is increasingly being deployed by organisations in the construction industry, delivering organisational cost savings and operational efficiencies as part of their digital transformation journey, says Head of Pacific AVEVA Damien McDade from AVEVA
Worldwide, construction is already one of the largest industry sectors. Continue →
Will house prices continue to rise as we enter recession?
August’s REINZ figures saw an annual increase in median house prices across every region in New Zealand, half of which reached record highs, but opinions are split as Treasury predicts the average cost of a home will fall 5% by June next year
Median house prices across New Zealand increased by 16.4% in August to $675,000, up from $580,000 in August 2019 and up from $659,000 in July (a 2.4% lift). Continue →
What is really going on in the construction industry
Despite the Covid-19 lockdown interruption and delays in shovel-ready projects, many contractors are optimistic about the future according to the 2020 Construction Industry Survey, a partnership between Teletrac Navman and Civil Contractors New Zealand
COVID-19 and the electoral cycle are causing short-term pain for civil contractors in the next 6-12 months, but the industry sees a promising future, with record spending on infrastructure projects as a cornerstone to the Government’s economic recovery plan. Continue →
The shift away from CBDs – an Auckland case study
Takapuna went into the first lockdown with an office vacancy rate considerably lower than Auckland’s CBD, and still the North Shore metropolitan centre’s commercial occupancy remains high
In March, Colliers International reported that Takapuna’s office vacancy rate had fallen to 4.5% – down from 5.1% in September 2019. Continue →
Spring looking up as lockdown lifts
There are many reasons to feel positive about real estate going into spring, according to Century 21 New Zealand Owner Derryn Mayne
Spring is now looking better for real estate, with Auckland out of lockdown. Continue →
Winning tenders: what 47% of businesses are doing wrong
Nearly half of construction leaders are differentiating their business on this same strength during the tendering process, according to a recent survey by tender consultancy firm Madrigal Communications
Of those surveyed, 21% say they differentiate themselves on quality, 21% on price, 10% on client communications. Continue →
Rental market winners and losers
Recent events are clearly starting to take a toll on property rents in areas like Queenstown, yet other parts of the country are still seeing strong rental increases, says Core Logic Senior Research Analyst Kelvin Davidson
The rental side of the property market has been in the news quite a bit over the past 1-2 weeks, especially Queenstown, where rents have clearly begun to fall. Continue →
Big steps forward for Urban Growth Agenda
The infrastructure industry has just gone through a blizzard of policy change, with five key bills landing in the final two weeks of the current parliamentary term
The Government’s Urban Growth Agenda was designed to address the fundamentals of land supply, development capacity and enabling infrastructure. Continue →
New responsibilities under Level Two and Three
Construction protocols for working under Alert Level 2 and 3 have been updated in light of new COVID-19 restrictions. Continue →
Cancer-causing dust released by earthworks
Tiny needle-like fibres that can become airborne if bedrock is disturbed has the potential to cause an asbestos-type disease, scientists warn
The fibres come from a mineral called erionite which originates in silica-rich volcanic rock commonly found in many parts of the world and especially throughout the Auckland region. Continue →
How elections can change the property sector
The 2020 general election could have a major influence on the market, according to a Colliers analysis of election impacts over the past two decades
With an election drawing closer and only partial policy announcements to date coming from the major parties, Colliers International’s latest monthly research report, released today, looks at sales activity and confidence surveys coinciding with the past six elections since 2000 to showcase what impacts the campaign could have upon the property sector. Continue →
Political rabbits put in charge of the lettuce
A combined plea from three key infrastructure associations garners a partial response from a government accused of using shovel-ready projects for politicking ahead of the election
Details of 59 projects were released on July 27 by the government’s Infrastructure Reference Group after infrastructure industry leaders and opposition party MPs had earlier called for the release of the government’s full list of shovel-ready projects. Continue →