External cladding banned in Victoria
In a move to reduce the risk of fire, the Victorian Government in Australia has banned the use of certain external wall cladding products – should New Zealand follow suit? Continue →
Browsing: Compliance & Legal
Which projects no longer need a building consent?
From 31 August 2020, some building projects no longer need a building consent. Continue →
Fire safety must be maintained during lockdown
Fire equipment maintenance is an essential service that must continue regardless of the pandemic, Wormald Australia CEO Andrew Lee is reminding business and property managers
While the nation is in lock down to minimise the spread of COVID-19, there is still the need to maintain essential services. Continue →
Landlords should watch out for no access clauses
With many tenants now unable to access their premises due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, commercial property landlords could be hit with ‘no access’ lease clauses, warn leading property and legal experts
The most common standard form of commercial property lease in New Zealand, the Auckland District Law
Society (ADLS) Deed of Lease, includes a ‘no access in emergency’ clause. Continue →
Lockdown laws that will affect every landlord
Due to the spread of COVID-19 and the new lockdown laws, new restrictions now apply to the New Zealand rental market according to myrent.co.nz
We are receiving are a lot of questions from both landlords and tenants around the topic of property viewings, moving house, and starting tenancies during the four-week lockdown period. Continue →
Completed skyscraper ordered to remove 20 floors
Developers of a New York skyscraper have been ordered to remove as many as 20 floors from the top of its recently completed project
Ted Tabet – The Urban Developer
The 200 Amsterdam Avenue development, being delivered by SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan America, has been found to have exceeded zoning limits after developers “gerrymandered” a 39-sided zoning lot in order to add height and bulk to the project. Continue →
Duty of care ruling raises concerns about occupier liability
Flawed floor earns a big payout for one casino player who slipped and sustained back injuries
By Jerome Matthews (LLB)
Casino operators Star Pty Ltd were ordered to pay A$150,000 after a NSW court ruled they were in breach of their duty of care to a customer who slipped and fell in its Star Casino. Continue →
The challenges to certifying whole-of-life design for new builds
Fifty years ago, newly-built assets seemed to have little difficulty in meeting the full term of their lifespan
Today however, ongoing problems of poor design details and lengthy remediation of building defects are issues with which the whole industry continues to struggle. Continue →
Working in construction? Put safety first with digital risk and safety cards
The Construction Health and Safety Risk Cards which have been in circulation since last year have been digitised. Continue →
Collaborative consents process exactly what is needed
A new aligned, online consents building process brings the coordination and consistency between councils necessary to enable successful development and maintenance of New Zealand homes, Property Council New Zealand believes. Continue →
Australasia real estate sustainability leader
Australasian real estate companies and funds outperformed all other regions for the seventh year in succession, according to a global benchmark for environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of real assets. Continue →
Arvida boosts retirement village portfolio
Arvida Group Limited is to purchase three more retirement villages for some $160 million. Continue →
Five-month opt-in for leaky-building class action
More leaky-building owners will have the chance to join a self-funded class action against James Hardie following last week’s Court of Appeal judgment. Continue →
More infrastructure needed, say business leaders
Business is relatively happy with the policy direction of New Zealand but wants to see more investment in infrastructure. Continue →
A new era for earthquake-prone buildings
The new national framework for managing earthquake-prone buildings (EPBs) that became effective on 1 July 2017 has brought several changes, Duncan Cotterill partner Paul Calder advises. Continue →
The high price of land use regulation
Regulating land use by imposing usage rules obviously increases house costs – but environmental lawyer Vicki Morrison-Shaw says the sheer size of the increase is eye-watering. Continue →
Suspect cladding found in New Zealand buildings
At least two Auckland high-rise buildings have been clad with combustible panels similar to those implicated in London’s Grenfell Tower disaster
The Auckland council has declined to say which buildings are affected, but does say they are privately-owned and the material is being replaced with fire-proof cladding. Continue →
BRANZ releases three updated guides
The latest editions provide guidance to designers, specifiers, plumbers, builders and electrical contractors. Continue →
Kennedy Point Marina gets approval to drop anchor
Kennedy Point Boatharbour Limited has been given the go-ahead to build a new 186-berth floating marina at Kennedy Point in Putiki Bay, Waiheke Island
An independent panel of five commissioners delegated by Auckland Council granted the project resource consent after a week-long hearing in early April this year. Continue →
Government eroding access to environmental justice?
Leading environmental legal firm Berry Simons says two recent legislative initiatives are symptomatic of the continuing decay of the Resource Management framework and institutions, and the quality of decision-making
Partner Simon Berry and Senior Associates Jen Vella and Helen Andrews are concerned about the latest initiatives promoted by the Minister for Building and Construction. Continue →