October/November 2012 Inhouse

October / November 2012

The official magazine of Certified Builders Association of New Zealand Inc

Write a letter to the Editor and win

How to survive a complaint to the BPB

Certified Builders feature on The Block NZ – Pg 4 – Pg 11 – Pgs 16,17

In easy steps you can have youR own 4-page website

Contents

Certified Builders on The Block NZ Pg 4

Association news pg 5

Homefirst tops 10,000 guarantees pg 6

Leaky Buildings – Getting involved Pg 8,9

New CBANZ contracts available pg 10

Letters to the Editor pg 11

Why not try Toastmasters or Lions? pg 14,15

How to survive a complaint to the Building Practitioners Board – Geoff Hardy pg 16,17

ITaB news pg 18-20

Falls from Height pg 22,23

Your client wants a Passive house? pg 24,25

Good to Great roadshow roundup pg 26,27

Council denies CBANZ member ROW pg 27

Guarantees and Insurances pg 28,29

Workplace injury: a pain in the back – ACC pg 32,33

Q&A: The law at work – E2Law pg 34,35

Using thermal mass effectively pg 40,41

Hunting & Fishing giveaway pg 42

Compliance focus for 2012-13 – IRD pg 43

Message

BOARD of DIRECTORS 2012-2013 LINE UP – Back row from left: Roger Duncan, Waikato; Brent Chatterton, Upper South; Mark Dobbs, Northern (Vice Chairman); Dallas Shaw, Southern; Dave Whitehead, Auckland. Front row from left: Allan Shaw (Past Chairman); Brian Ludlow, Cook Strait; Dave Brown (Chairman); Alan Whyte, Eastern; Geoff Hardy (Additional Director).

Contact CBANZ®

Farming House 102 - 104 Spring Street

PO Box 13405, Tauranga Central, Tauranga 3141 Telephone 07 927 7720 Freephone 0800 CERTIFIED

Facsimile 07 927 7721Email [email protected] Web www.certified.co.nz

The experts reckon we get depressed during

bad weather and show a marked improvement

in mood and attitude when the sun shines.

I really can’t fault that logic! Hopefully our

unpredictable spring weather isn’t affecting

your businesses too much.

I visited Christchurch a few weeks ago and

the weather is the least of their worries. I was

genuinely shocked by what has happened

down there and media reports don’t convey

the reality of what the people of Christchurch

have gone through. You have to actually be

there to get a feeling for the magnitude of

the destruction caused by the earthquakes.

The CBD is one big demolition site and

many of the outer suburbs are wrecked and

lifeless. I just hope that we will start to see

some reconstruction in the near future. They

deserve it. CBANZ is providing extra support

for our members there to help them through

these tough times. We appreciate Richard

Merrifield‘s tireless efforts on our behalf there.

His impressive network of high-level contacts is

making a big difference. The Board has decided

to have our last meeting of the calendar year

in Christchurch and we are looking forward to

catching up with the local guys.

Our August Board meeting was excellent and

you can be assured that you have a great

team of enthusiastic guys looking after your

interests. They are positive, full of good ideas

and committed to ensuring Certified Builders

remains at the forefront of the industry.

I have spoken to several non-aligned

builders recently and they are definitely at

a disadvantage when it comes to being kept

informed of industry developments. It is harder

for them to access the resources we have as

members and their networking opportunities

are limited. So, my advice is to take full

advantage of your membership and use it

to gain an edge in your businesses. In these

uncertain times it is nice to know you can rely

on strong support from your Association.

The onset of spring should encourage people to

get on with their building projects with one of

us as their builder of choice.

Dave Brown

from the Chairman

inhouse October-November 2012 3

ON THE COVER

4 inhouse October-November 2012

This extensive renovation was part of

the reality TV series which follows four

couples while they renovate four state

houses – as seen on TV3’s The Block NZ.

The Certified Builders team from Wardy

Construction Ltd were the builders for

Ginny and Rhys – House 4.

The original house was a two bedroom

brick and tile house that was renovated

over a 9 week period and is now a

modern three bedroom, two bathroom

home with features such as LED lighting,

double glazed joinery and rimu floors.

The exterior is plaster over the original

brick with a cedar cladding extension.

CBANZ member Wardy Construction was

approached by Ginny & Rhys for the Block

NZ. It all started at 9:30pm on a Monday

night when Ginny called and asked if

we were interested in helping out in the

renovation of their house. We turned up

at 7.30am on the Tuesday and left at 7pm

that night; these types of hours went on

for roughly the next 9 weeks.

Through the experience, as you can

imagine, Wardy Construction had to give

Ginny & Rhys a bit of help with the do’s

and don’ts in the construction industry.

Ginny & Rhys were a great couple to

work with and we had a lot of fun along

the way, we even taught the Taranaki

boy how to fish!

We were really happy with helping them

‘win’ the major rooms in the house, the

kitchen, master bedroom, bathroom &

laundry. All the other contestants were

great people to meet and we had fun

working alongside them.

Overall the show was a great experience

to be a part of.

Ginny and Rhys told The NZ Herald:

“We couldn’t have done it without... our

builders, Wardy Construction. They were

beyond amazing. They went over and

above their duties and put in some huge

hours to get the job done, and done well.”

The team from Wardy Construction from left to right – Tony Ward, Simon Ward, Zac Judge and Chris Bettle.Below: Ginny and Rhys at work on House 4.

BeforeAfte

r

Putting their jobs on THE BLOCKThe Block NZ photos courtesy TV3

newsassociation


National Business and Build Survey 2012CBANZ received a great response to our

National Membership Survey, thank you

to all who took time to contribute.

Platinum members will have already

received the Business and Build Survey

results via email, for non participating

Business members who wish to receive

these results, a fee of $45 is charged.

Congratulations to Waikato member

Chris Jarnet of Thistle Brae Construction

Limited winning the Parabeam security

alert system valued at $699. Chris your

prize is on its way, check out Parabeam

on the web www.parabeam.co.nz.

Thank you to the Ministry of Business,

Innovation and Employment - Building

and Housing for sponsorship of the prize.

This year’s survey took on a slightly

different look with the Ministry

surveying on LBP. CBANZ added to this

with questions on preference of LBP

learning, weathertightness claims and

non payments on contracts. This section

of the survey is available on the Certified

Builders website www.certiified.co.nz.

Some interesting findings:

• Charge out rates showed a

soft increase with Far North/

Whangarei, Taupo/Hawke’s Bay

leading the way

• 52.9% of members surveyed said

they will increase their rates now

that LBP is in play, 38.7% thought

they would wait to see what

market conditions allows. 8.38%

will be staying with their current

charge rates. Waikato/Bay of

Plenty had the most “status quo”

with 17% holding current changes.

Far North/Whangarei is sitting

on the fence with a wait and see

approach of 70.2% surveyed

• A more disturbing result showed

those who answered question 22

collectively are owed $377,629.92

on outstanding contract payments.

This averaged out to $5,994.12 for

each participant

• We consider ourselves well

informed on Restricted Building

Work with 79.9% surveyed felt they

had a good understanding of RBW

• Trade Training continues to prove a

valuable source for LBP points with

79.6% attending these

• The passion members have for

recognition of trade qualifications

and professionalism in the

construction industry clearly came

through and number one for the

Association to continue promoting.

These results are a great health check for

the Association so we can continue to

improve and channel resources to areas

members feel are of most value. Again

thank you to those who took the time to

participate.

Jason McClintock, Operations manager

•Great for building notes, quotes,

invoices, pens and other paperwork

•Includes pen holder, refill paper,

clear business card holder and

pocket compartments

Get the professional look $20 each

•Screen printed silver with ‘New

Zealand’s Most Qualified Builders’

Order one at the new online shop

on the Certified Builders website.

Log on to the members section

and have a look around.

Use your A5 compendium as a cover for your CBANZ A5 diary. Grab an A5

Certified Builders Compendium and look professional when meeting with

your client!

Builtin New Zealand has announced it

has issued more than 10,000 Homefirst

Builders Guarantees for residential

building work since launching the scheme

in New Zealand 10 years ago.

Builtin says demand has increased over

the past few years, despite the downturn

in the building industry, driven by media

reports of poor workmanship and

increasing numbers of builders going bust

and leaving their clients in the lurch.

Indeed, such is the problem that the

Government is currently considering

amendments to the Building Act that will

require builders to provide mandatory

warranties for their work, obliging them

to fix problems for up to 12 months after

the work is completed. The problem with

this, says Builtin’s Managing Director, Jim

Rickard, is that it provides no protection to

homeowners in the event that their builder

goes bust, either during or after construction.

“The building industry is hugely

competitive, margins are tight and

customers very price focused”, he says.

“This is a dangerous mix given the

fragmented nature of the industry and

the temptation to under price to win

work. We see it all the time, the builder

thinks he’ll make his money back through

variations, but it only takes one missed

or disputed payment and his cashflow

is stuffed. He’s then in a position of

having to rob Peter to pay Paul, which is

unsustainable.”

It means the insolvency of the building

contractor is a significant risk factor in

any building project, yet the proposed

changes to the Building Act do not

provide any protection from this.

Legislation in the Australian states of

Victoria, Queensland and New South

Wales means builders are obliged to take

out a builders guarantee on behalf of

their clients for most of the work they

do. This protects the homeowner in the

event their building contractor goes into

liquidation, or simply disappears. 90%

of the claims received by the NSW Home

Warranty Insurance Fund are as a result of

contractor insolvency.

The Homefirst Builders Guarantee

is available from all members of the

Certified Builders Association and from

other Builtin accredited builders that

meet their criteria for financial solvency,

qualifications and experience. It reassures

homeowners that their investment is

protected by an independently insured

guarantee. It also means that the insurer

will repair defects in the work if the

original builder is no longer trading, or

has moved away and can’t be found.

The Homefirst Builders Guarantee is

underwritten by CBL Insurance Limited, a

licensed New Zealand insurer, who is New

Zealand’s largest and longest established

specialist bonding, financial risk and surety

company. CBL have more than one million

homes under guarantee worldwide and

are rated B+ (Good) by A.M. Best.

Builtin & CBL also provide the WaterTight

Warranty (www.watertightwarranty.

co.nz), which gives 10 years protection

from structural defects in leaky home

remediation work.

Homefirst tops 10,000 independent builders guarantees on New Zealand homes


Contact: Ben Rickard, Marketing Manager, Builtin New Zealand e: [email protected] ph: 07 579 6259 m: 0275 212 014

Hi all. My name is Buster Coughtrey and I’m the

new CBANZ Membership Development Manager

for the North Island. I am married to Tina and have

three step children.

I was born in the UK and probably like most of

you went into the trade from school. I started at

the bottom and worked my way up to getting my

City and Guilds in carpentry and joinery. I moved

to New Zealand in 1996 and started working for

a Tauranga building company specialising in high

end residential. For the past 7 years I have been

running my own company based in Tauranga

which at its peak employed 17 staff.

I joined Certified Builders in 2003 and for the

past 2 years I have been on the Western BOP

committee. Also, like most of you by now, I am

a licensed building practitioner with site 2 in

Carpentry. My hobbies are hunting, fishing, Golf

and also playing the saxophone, albeit badly.

My key role in Certified Builders is to build

the membership and grow the apprenticeship

programme though ITaB (Industry Training

Association Building). I will be on the road giving

trade training and keeping you all informed and

up to date on what’s happening in our industry.

I look forward to meeting and working alongside

you all.

On the road ... our new Membership Development Manager

North Island Membership Development Manager Buster Coughtrey

Message from the Chief Executive

The Online Shop has LAUNCHED!The Certified Builders online shop has been live for about 6 weeks and is going

fabulously. If you haven’t already checked it out – go and have a squizz some time.

Log on to the members section of the Certified website and you will see an array

of products within the shop - not to mention a whole lot of additional information

on the benefits and services of being a Certified Builder.

All online orders

between now and

October 31st will

go into a draw to

win a bundle

of CB goodies

including: drink

bottles, stationery,

stickers and

branded clothes.

If you can’t remember your

login details phone us at

National Support Office and

someone can help you.


We have finally released the first of

our two new contracts that have been

signalled for the past few months.

These are the “Fixed Price Building

Contract” and also the “Cost and

Margin Building Contract”. These

replace the old “Full Build” and

“Cost Reimbursement” Contracts.

Over the next few months we will

roll out further variations of these

contracts that reflect the work that you

undertake.

There contracts are significantly

different to those that we have

used over the past few years in

that they recognise the various law

changes, have a clearer definition of

responsibilities but more importantly

they provide the builder with significantly

more protection should those last few

payments ‘not eventuate’.

If you have not been using these contracts

(that are readily available from National

Support Office) I urge you to consider this

to make sure that you are protected and

able to enter into a contract that is fair to

both you and your customer.

A review has started of the Skills

Maintenance Points regime by the

MBIE – Building and Housing (the

old DBH) and we will keep you

informed as this progresses, but in

the meantime the current method of

earning your required points remains

unchanged – that is 1 point for one

hour’s learning and more importantly

1 point for taking time in reading

inhouse!

Grant Florence


This is the 2nd article in a series based on a

number of workshops on weathertight remediation for builders which the Building and Housing Group in the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has been running at centres all over New Zealand. In this article we will be considering some of the things we need to know and questions we should ask as builders when we are asked to take on a remediation project. As discussed previously, there are increased risks in such projects and it is essential that we as builders understand these risks and ways to minimise them. And this starts before we even swing a hammer on site.

When you are contacted by a designer

or client it is crucial to know if an

assessment has been carried out on the

building. If there is, what are the skills

and experience of the assessor and is the

report current? If there is no assessment,

in most cases it will be appropriate to

advise the owner to obtain an inspection

and report from a competent person.

Have plans been drawn up and consent

applied for? What are the qualifications

and experience of the designer and those

supervising the repair process, providing

ongoing design support and evidence

collection? Until the cladding is removed,

it is often difficult to determine the

extent of the work needed and details

required.

If a designer has little experience in

remediation, will they be able to deliver

details in a reasonable timeframe? Note

that since March 2012 this is restricted

work requiring the appropriate design

licence. Case law has shown that builders

can carry significant liability if they

design missing or change existing details

which then go on to fail.

When considering the legal ramifications

of the duty of care that has been

established under case law, how suitable

is the proposed repair methodology,

especially targeted or partial repair

types? Working with the right experts can

help mitigate this risk.

The ‘like with like’ provision in Schedule

1 of the Building Act allows repairs and

maintenance to be carried out on a

building without a building consent, but

only where the building has not failed

the durability requirements of B2. Due

to these requirements any building that

has leaked within 15 years will strictly

speaking require a building consent for

repairs to the envelope.

Having an understanding of the whole

remediation process and what options

are available for potential clients has

helped me differentiate from others in

the market and develop a relationship

with those clients. Carrying out a quick

assessment of the property in person or

over the phone to determine the age,

design features, building materials and

why they think they may have a problem

will be a useful first step in determining the

options available. If their home has a CCC,

who it was issued by and when is critical.

Whilst not the only limitation period on

statute the 10 year long stop limitation

period of the Building Act 2004 is the

most relevant to building projects. If a

client falls outside these limitation periods

their options for holding those to account

for their loss through litigation narrow

significantly. Due to the complexity of

such cases it is probable that a client will

need the advice of other professionals for

legal and expert advice to determine their

most appropriate course of action.

If a client is unfortunate enough to own

a leaky building they may also need to

consider the potential health implications

of residing in their home and the length

Harry Dillon is a builder and

has been involved with the

repair of over 300 homes

over the past 10 years.

Leaky Buildings – Getting involved

The 3rd of our article series on

weathertight remediation will be

written by the Building and Housing

Group in the Ministry of Business,

Innovation and Employment and will

look at the Government’s Financial

Assistance Package.

Suggested areas for more information

o Building & Housing Groups

website: http://www.dbh.govt.nz/

ws-info-for-building-professionals

o The B & H Groups publications

•Guide to Remediation Design

•Guide to the Diagnosis of Leaky

Buildings

•Dealing with Timber in Leaky

Buildings

Wrap Up:

WEaTHErTIGHT rEMEDIaTION


Leaky Buildings – Getting involvedand stress of the whole process. Options could include selling

back their home to the defendants, the original builder

perhaps, or demolition with consideration for land value and

remediation costs.

A builder’s most obvious risk is arguably security of payment

so understanding how a client is intending to fund the repairs

is essential. A client may plan to 100% self fund for a small

repair for example - but what if scope and budget significantly

increase?

They could then be driven to pursue parties using the WHRS or

private litigation though the courts. The client may also be using

the governments new Financial Assistance Package (FAP), the

subject of our next article.

This article represents Harry’s views which may not necessarily

be same as the Building and Housing Groups.

A great team effort saw the Whangarei

region put on another successful Expo

recently. Well supported by Jason

McClintock from the National Support

Office and with hard work by the

committee the Expo became a real event.

A new feature of the Expo was a train

making project to help local schools.

Robin Storey of Northtec did an excellent

job, bringing the programme alive

backed by committee members. Four

trains were made and the four schools

involved painted them. With the help

of a CBANZ member the trains were

assembled on the day, judged and

auctioned off. The funds went back to

the schools who were responsible for the

model train. We were all CHUFFED with

our efforts as the trains looked as though

they could CHUFF off down the tracks.

Trade exhibitors were really happy even

though the public attendance numbers

were slightly down on last year. The

exhibitors felt they got more valuable

time to deal with various enquiries.

AROUND THE REGIONS Whangarei

The aim of the Expo was to promote the

CBANZ brand name. We are trying to get

all our regional members to think along

these lines. As a result we are going to

enter the Northland Field Days in February

and see if we can bring our members more

into a family type team this way.

Our last general meeting was on 15 August.

We had a good turnout but we still need

more members to show up. Our meeting

was proudly sponsored by PlaceMakers

Robert Ward and Willie Lassey, HRV Murrey

Batger and Easy Access Richard Rau Maewa.

A great big thanks to you all. A lively

discussion was held with Mike Goodison

from the Department of Labour over

working from heights and ladder use. This

would have been absolutely informative for

members who didn’t attend.

President Howard

Minnie the dog, Savannah Armstrong and Robin Storey having fun on the trains.

Expo brings enthusiastic team together to promote Association


Why New Contracts Are Needed

• The contracts come from humble beginnings

• They are revised every few years

• The last revision was in 2008

• Radical legal reforms over the past 10 years

The survival of small buildersis at stake

How Building Contracts Can Help

• Major risk = doing building work on credit

• Payment of final instalment is now discretionary. It

costs money even to prove your innocence so you will

have built that house for free

• It’s essential to restore a level playing field by giving

builders security for payment. The new contracts are

designed to do that

The Changes in General

• All blanks to be completed are at the front

• Familiar format but the wording is improved

• 15 pages of (large font) legalese at the back

• Still shorter than NZS 3902, NZIA S W, MB RBC1

• The order of clauses has completely changed

• Virtually every line has been re-written

• There are some brand new sections

Homefirst Guarantee

• Availability of Guarantee expressly highlighted

• Owner elects whether to pay for one or not

• Benefits of Guarantee are summarised

• It’s a contract between Owner & Underwriter

• It is Owner’s responsibility to apply for one

• Builder should merely help fill out application

• But Builder can pay for it if he wishes

Improved

New Contracts now available

New

Send in your old contracts to

National Support Office and

they will be replaced with the

new contracts free of charge.

Contact Millie Turkington at

National Support Office

[email protected]

Direct dial 07 557 9214

Or order at the on line shop

Other contracts to be added

shortly

Order your new contracts today

The contracts have been rewritten

by CBANZ Board member and lawyer

Geoff Hardy.

The FIXED PRICE CONTRACT replaces

the FULL BUILD CONTRACT.

The COST AND MARGIN BUILDING

CONTRACT replaces the COST

REIMBURSEMENT contract.

2


The Editor,

Now that I am an LBP and submitting

ROW’s do I need to continue writing

Producer Statements for Council?

The reply:

Your local Building Consenting

Authority [BCA] sets the requirements

in order for a consent to be issued.

In essence, this is the approved

compliance path for the project to

follow. Remember, on all reasonable

grounds they must satisfy themselves

that compliance will be met.

The carpentry LBP is not “signing the

job off” rather submitting evidence

of work you have undertaken and/or

aspects of building work supervised

associated to restricted building work

[RBW], this is done through your

record of work [ROW]. BCAs may

require additional evidence such as

a producer statement, however the

question should be asked whether

there is a duplication of information

provided within the ROW and a

producer statement, that is – was work

completed as per approved consented

plans. Note the difference – as per

approved plans, not as per building

code, this is the role of the design team.

The Building Act 2004 does not

reference directly to producer

statements, however in the previous

Building Act [1991] it did give

Councils the ability to accept producer

statements if they wanted. Geoff

Hardy, CBANZ legal help line has a

very good newsletter on the subject of

producer statements, check it out on

line at www.madisonhardy.com

The Editor,

I’m still getting to grips with some of

the lingo used on our sites, what is a

scupper and a risk matrix?

The reply:

These terms fall under E2 that is

external moisture, the following

definition of a scupper is found within

E2 Building Compliance Document;

An opening in a parapet or enclosed

balustrade to allow water to drain

into a rainwater head. The term risk

matrix is also within E2; a table that

allows the calculation of a risk score by

the allocation and summing of scores for

a range of design and location factors

applying to a specific building design.

This means the higher the weathertight

risk the higher the risk score, this is

used as a guideline as to what types of

claddings can or cannot be used, also

cavity requirements. Certified Builders

Association can print off Building

Compliance documents for members,

we’ll also bind them for site use.

Building Compliance Documents

are available for viewing on line at

www.dbh.govt.nz/compliance-documents

The Editor,

I mainly do alteration work and often get

asked to add additional insulation, can I

do this work without a consent?

The reply:

Schedule 1 exempts under floor and roof

insulation retrofits, however insulating

wall cavities is not. This requires a

building consent or specific approval from

a BCA that a consent is not required.

There are several methods for this on the

market, some of which could potentially

compromise moisture transfer and/or

change drying rates which may induce

decay and/or affect the durability of wall

framing. The type of insulating system

and the type of home that it being

applied to needs to be considered.

Letters to the Editor

TO PROSPECTIVE BUILD READERS

We welcome letters to the editor, or

building related questions. Send yours in

and be in the draw to win this hammer

courtesy of BRANZ relaunching their

BUILD magazine in October and this stylish

CBANZ polo shirt for summer. BRANZ will

also supply 2 free tickets (valued at $87

each) to their upcoming Renovation &

Retrofit seminar plus any 2 free BRANZ

publications of the winner’s choice.

If you would like to submit a letter for

possible publication in inhouse please

email:

[email protected]

Letters are not normally acknowledged

and may be edited, abridged or discarded.

HAMMERING THE MESSAGE HOME

Brian Oxley(previously an electrician)

I first went to Toastmasters around 1978.

I was progressing to be the President

of Waikato and Bay of Plenty Electrical

Contractors Association. I knew I did not

have the required skills to confidently

complete the role. The need to acquire

even more skills became evident when

I was also asked to represent the

Association at the national level, as a

council member on the Board of the

Electrical Contractor Association of New

Zealand.

The confidence and skills I obtained from

a brief six week intensive course called

“Speechcraft”, followed by a six month

full membership, not only enabled me

to complete these roles but enabled me

to propel my business onto success that

would not have occurred otherwise. I was

able to successfully operate the business

at a much higher level financially. I was

also able to communicate with a larger

and more complex staff number.

During this period, I found myself dealing

with National Company Managers

and their support staff. I had the

communication skills that enabled my

message to be communicated clearly and

succinctly. My turnover and profit margin

increased markedly with the higher

quality projects the company was now

completing.

I also stepped up and became the

President of a Lions Club in 1991, as I

knew I had the required knowledge to

confidently help a large group of people

complete many projects. Gaining the

co-operation of a group of volunteers

requires different skill set and principles

than is required for a team of employees.


Is a fear of speaking in public holding you back in your career or preventing you taking on a leadership role? There is a way to gain confidence to speak out.

Ireturned to Toastmasters at the

beginning of 2006 as I had changed my

life direction. I now needed a different

skill set and knew the only place to go to

get these was Toastmasters.

One of many benefits of Toastmasters is

that you are able to learn in a safe and

supportive environment. We are all there

for each other. There is a system that

enables you to methodically learn the

communication and leadership skills your

business deserves. These skills you will

then take into all areas of your life.

At times you will not realise you are

using these new abilities to set yourself

above the rest and lead with confidence.

The knowledge you will have gained,

has been from learning in a safe and

supportive environment using proven

principles.

Invest in yourself and your staff – go to

Toastmasters, you will never regret it.

– Brian Oxley, Success Coach

Toastmasters International is a world

leader in communication and leadership

development. Membership is 280,000

strong. These members improve their

speaking and leadership skills by

attending one of the 13,500 clubs in

116 countries that make up our global

network of meeting locations.

Membership in Toastmasters is one

of the greatest investments you can

make in yourself; it is also one of the

most cost-effective skill-building tools

available anywhere.

How Does It Work? A Toastmasters meeting is a learn-by-

doing workshop in which participants

hone their speaking and leadership

skills in a no-pressure atmosphere.

There is no instructor in a Toastmasters

meeting. Instead, members evaluate

one another’s presentations. This

feedback process is a key part of the

program’s success.

Toastmasters is a place that you can

go along and join in. At the friendly

club evenings you will be able to meet

members and see for yourself how

the clubs operate and how you can be

helped to become more confident when

speaking to groups.

Toastmasters are very supportive and

there is never any obligation to do

anything you choose not to do and will

support and encourage you to achieve

the goals you have set yourself.

Check the website for more information

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Branches throughout New Zealand and

close by you.

Looking to develop speaking and leadership skills? Ignite your career? Win that contract?

Brian Oxley – Toastmasters Tauranga, Division Governor (1 of 9 in NZ)


Mike Way – Acting President Western Bay of Plenty Certified Builders Association

I started my building career when I

finished high school 1987. I completed

a carpentry and joinery apprenticeship

before passing Trade Certificate and a

year later Advanced Trade Certificate.

After a few more years of working in the

family business, I moved to England for 3

years and learned even more about the

skills of being a good tradesman there.

It seemed that I learned more there in

such a short time than what I had learnt

in New Zealand.

My experience with building in New

Zealand was nearly all new work; if there

was an error it was really a result of your

own workmanship. My experience in

England was about learning to fix and

make good errors of 100 years or more.

Those were the days before modern laser

levels, electric tools and modern building

materials. It wasn’t uncommon to scribe

skirtings 40-60mm and dealing with walls

that had 40-60mm bows in them or more.

Joining Certified Builders association

Twelve years ago I joined Certified

Builders, attending most members

meetings, and I can tell you it has

advanced a lot in that time.

advancing to Committee meeting

Four years ago I was invited along to a

WBOP CBANZ Committee Meeting to

see what goes on behind the scenes.

The following month I went along

again, and here I still am. I’ve learned

a lot from being on the Committee. It

reminds me of the learning curve I went

through in England. This time though it’s

the business and legal side of how our

industry works.

During my time on the Committee, the

business of building in New Zealand

has gone through probably the biggest

change to our industry ever. This has

been brought about by the entire

building industry’s poor performance

You might consider joining your

local Lions Club which would have

many benefits

• Develop confidence and

communication skills

• Meet people in your

district (good for your

business for leads/work)

JOIN LIONS CLUB

Looking to develop speaking and leadership skills? Ignite your career? Win that contract?

to build weather tight buildings. The

Licensed Building Practitioner scheme is

now well under way and I believe it’s the

best thing to happen to our industry.

Joining Toastmasters and my journey to

Acting President of WBOP CBANZ

I’ve now started on the next area of the

learning curve – attending Toastmasters

and progression to Acting President for

Western Bay of Plenty Certified Builders

Association

I felt that I needed to improve my

speaking skills for both my family

business success, and the potential that

I may step up to the President role of

WBOP CBANZ. So three months ago I

joined the “City Early Start Toastmasters

Club”, which is a diverse and fun group

that meets early morning Wednesdays at

the Classic Flyers Cafe. I really enjoy going

to the meetings as often interesting

and humorous speeches are given by

people just like me who want to grow for

personal and/or work reasons.

What I didn’t realise is that Toastmasters

does not just teach you to speak

in public, like I thought, it’s also a

programme that develops listening skills

and leadership skills. Of course, these are

all so important for communication in any

business or walk of life.

Toastmasters has already started to make

its impact as I was very recently asked if

I’d like to step up to the role of Acting

President at WBOP CBANZ.

I would encourage anyone who wants to

grow within their business to either take

up with their local CBANZ committee, or

perhaps you too would be interested in a

Toastmasters Club.

Mike Way - Acting President Western Bay of Plenty - has found Toastmasters helpful in developing his communication skills.

The most significant change introduced by the Building Act 2004 was the requirement for residential building work to be carried out or supervised by licensed building practitioners. This exposed builders for the first time to the discipline of “occupational licensing” that many other professions and trades were already subject to.

Since 1 March 2012, a licensed building

practitioner has been required for any

design, construction or alteration of a

house or a small-to-medium apartment

building, if the work affects the

structural integrity or weathertightness

of the building, as well as the design of

its fire safety systems. This is all known

How to survive a complaint to the Building Practitioners Boardas “restricted building work”, and it

includes not only design and carpentry,

but also bricklaying and blocklaying,

external plastering, foundations, and

roofing. Licensing imposes a whole lot

of additional restrictions on builders

that they did not have previously, and

one of them is the complaints system

administered by the Building Practitioners

Board (“BPB”).

Anyone can complain to the BPB about

a licensed building practitioner. If the

practitioner is an architect, chartered

professional engineer, engineering

associate, electrical worker, plumber,

gasfitter or drainlayer, then the

complaint is likely to be referred to his

or her own trade association. So the BPB

will be mostly handling complaints about

builders.

The important thing for a builder to

remember is that if you treat it seriously

and get some expert advice at the outset,

there is nothing to fear. But if you bury

your head in the sand and ignore it, it

could seriously affect your ability to earn

a living.

The most common source of a complaint

about a builder is likely to be a client

who has become disenchanted about

the builder’s work during the course of

the project. Generally clients are in a

very powerful position because not only

do they have a wide range of rights and

remedies available to them under the

law of contract, the law of negligence,

the Consumer Guarantees Act and the

Building Act, but they also have the

ability to withhold payment of the

builder’s invoice. But because disputes

over residential building contracts tend

to be very emotional, clients will often

look for every form of leverage they can

find to exert pressure on the builder. And

complaints to the BPB are a very easy way

to do that.

They are easy because they are relatively

fast, cheap, and informal. A homeowner

can get a ruling from the BPB which will

tell him whether his grievances have

any substance or not. Although the

BPB cannot order the builder to fix any

defective workmanship or materials, or

pay damages to the homeowner, at least

it will tell the homeowner whether it

is worthwhile filing a claim against the

builder in the Courts or the Disputes

Tribunal, or using arbitration under the

Arbitration Act or adjudication under

the Construction Contracts Act. Plus, the

stress that a complaint to the BPB will

cause the builder may well cause him to

cave in, and concede the argument even

though he may well have been in the

right.

In reality there is absolutely no reason to

cave in. The BPB is made up of intelligent

people who are all highly experienced in

the building industry. If the homeowner’s

complaint has no substance, they will say

so. They are bound by the principles of

natural justice, which means they have to

conduct the hearing fairly, transparently

and in good faith, and they have to

give you a fair opportunity to state your

case and counter any arguments put up

against you. You are entitled to have a

lawyer do this for you.

Some complaints will be thrown out

before they even get off first base.

These are complaints that are clearly

groundless, or are frivolous, vexatious,

vindictive, or not made in good faith,

or are relatively insignificant or trivial.

But even the complaints that, on the

surface, appear to be more serious

will usually involve just a difference of

opinion between you and your client.

In that case there may be no reason for


Geoff Hardy is a specialist

commercial lawyer in Auckland

and also a member of the

CBANZ Board.

Contact Geoff on 09 379 0700

[email protected].

Remember that there are only certain grounds on which someone can file a complaint

DISCLAIMER: This article is not intended

to be relied upon as legal advice.


How to survive a complaint to the Building Practitioners Boardthe BPB to intervene at all, especially

if you are taking steps to resolve the

dispute through some other recognised

method such as adjudication under the

Construction Contracts Act.

Remember that there are only certain

grounds on which someone can file a

complaint against you with the BPB.

The main ones are that you have been

negligent or incompetent, or you have

not complied with the building consent.

There is every chance that the initial

complaint can be challenged on technical

grounds, so it pays to get expert advice as

soon as you receive notice of it.

There are some fairly tight deadlines

that you have to comply with, such

as 20 working days to respond to the

complaint, and after that you have to

organise your witnesses well in advance

of the hearing.

If the complaint against you is upheld,

then the BPB has a range of penalties

they can impose on you. They can cancel

your licence, or suspend it for up to 12

months, or restrict the type of work you

can carry out or supervise. They can also

order that you undertake training, they

can fine you up to $10,000, and they can

order you to pay the costs and expenses

of the whole enquiry.

Those are serious consequences, and they

become public knowledge because they

are recorded on the Licensed Building

Practitioners’ register. Furthermore, if

the Building Act Amendment Bill No.4

is passed in its current form, you will

have to disclose this to every potential

residential client that you are hoping

to get work from. The outcome of the

complaints process will depend upon the

effort you put into it, so take it seriously,

get some professional assistance, and rest

assured that if you do that, you will get a

fair and reasonable result.

For more information on the Building

Practitioners Board go to the website

of the new Ministry of Business

Innovation and Employment and click

through to the Board’s page.

http://www.dbh.govt.nz/bpb


It seems everyone’s hitching a wagon to the ITaB carpentry

apprenticeship trains in Northland.

ITaB carpentry apprentice trainer Robin Storey of NorthTec

has been supporting the Certified Builders Association of

New Zealand (CBANZ) schools “Build Off” competition by

building kitset trains.

Also on board are a collection of CBANZ members helping

to build the trains for local primary schools, Whangarei

Heads, Maungakaremea, Matarua and Kokopu.

The supplies required for the trains were sponsored by

Rosvall Sawmills, Bunnings Warehouse, and Resenes

Paints. The NorthTec carpentry workshop was used after

hours as a space to build the trains.

The trains were built and assembled, then dismantled

into flat packs and sent to the schools. The schools then

reassembled them at the CBANZ expo on 21 July, where

they were auctioned off, with all proceeds going back to

the schools.

The highest bid received for one the trains was $580

which went back to Matarua School. The other trains

earned each school between $460-$560.

The school teams were made up of 4-6 students, with

each team assembling the trains under the supervision of

a Certified Builder. “It’s great to see CBANZ and NorthTec

working with schools and local community” said Robin Storey.

NorthTec is the Tai Tokerau (Northland) region’s largest

provider of tertiary education, with campuses and

learning centres in Whangarei, Kerikeri, Rawene, Kaikohe

and Kaitaia.

The smiles say it all - the trains are a crowd pleaser.

Everyone’s chuffed

Carl Budd, MD Construction overseeing the workmanship.

Paul Erceg supervises the children from from Kokopu School.

Apprentice news


Four ITaB apprentices were presented with their completion certificates in Northland

recently. They commended their employers for their support. PlaceMakers had

arranged with CBANZ Whangarei staff and ITaB a presentation meeting for the

apprentices and their employers to get together for photographs and they were

given a gear bag full of assorted tools on behalf of PlaceMakers and Milwaukee tools.

Great stuff Bob & Willie.

ITaB Green Cards are sent directly to the

paid apprentice.

The benefits include;

•DiscountedPublicationsincludingthe

NZS3604:2011, E2 Moisture Manual

and SNZ 3604 onsite Handbook. Ph

Millie T 0800 482 284

•inhouse Magazine delivered bi-monthly

with articles and information to keep

you up to date.

Certificates for Northland graduates

•Vodafone,SwaziClothing,Caltex

and AA and Fisher & Paykel, Harvey

Norman, Noel Leeming discounts and

plans upon application. 0800 482 284

•GeneralLiability/Car/Contents

discounted insurance call Gwenda CBA

Insurance ph 0800 237 843

Contact ITaB on 0800 482 284 if you have

any problem relating to your Green Card.

Gre

en C

ard

bene

fits

for

appr

enti

ces

ITaB would like to congratulate

the following Apprentices on

Completion of Apprenticeship

Carpentry

Completion Certificates

Christchurch polytechnic

Institute of Technology

(CpIT): Benjamin Anderson,

Andrew Brick, Thomas Chadwick,

Michael Hauke, Olliver Low,

Stuart Spencer, Paul Tait.

Eastern Institute of

Technology (EIT): Jordan

Cherrington, Benjamin Wilson.

Northtec – Future Trades: Nick

Farrand, Craig Galley.

Unitec: Nicholas Day, Alton

McKeown.

Universal College of Learning

(UCOL): Andrew Hodder.

Waikato Institute of

Technology (Wintec): Jason

Adams.

Congratulations on the

completion of Apprenticeship

in Carpentry, proudly supported

by the Apprentices’ employers,

Polytechnics and Tutors and ITaB.

BACK ROW: Dave Miller (David Millar Builders Limited), Mark Dobbs (MD Construction), Bruce McQueen (apprentice), Marcus Bracey, Willie Lassey (PlaceMakers)

FRONT ROW: Robin Storey (Tutor), Craig Galley (ITaB), Alistar Francis (ITaB), Clint Jones (apprentice), Logan Wendt (ITaB) and Howard Harnett (H E Harnett Building Company).

With their completion certificates are Craig Galley, Alistair Francis, Clint Jones and Logan Wendt.


The three competitors in this year’s World

Skills Competition carpentry section were

all ITaB apprentices.

Over its 60 year history, WorldSkills

International (formerly known as the

“Skill Olympics”) has come to symbolise

the pinnacle of excellence in vocational

training. At the skill competitions young

skilled people, accompanied by their

teachers and trainers, compete publicly

in the skills of their respective trades,

and also to test themselves against

demanding international standards.

They represent the best of their peers

drawn from the eight NZ regional

skill competitions. The experience and

results from all the competitions provide

valuable feedback and benchmarks both

to the individuals and also the systems

and enterprises in which they are being

trained

Canterbury ITaB apprentice Jesse Dhue

won the World Skills gold medal. Jesse

came second in Itab apprentice challenge

in Christchurch behind the eventual

national winner Zac Wilkinson. The other

two ITaB apprentices who met the criteria

for the World Skills contest were Michael

Ferris from Whangarei and Vine Collett

from Auckland – both were also national

ITaB competitors.

The three young men were the only

contestants in the carpentry section so

only the gold medal was awarded.

ITaB apprentices test their skills

ABOVE: Christchurch ITaB apprentice Jesse Dhue has the measure of the competition.

ABOVE RIGHT: Michael Ferris from Northtec in Whangarei hits the nail on the head!

RIGHT: Gold medal Jesse Dhue with Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker who made the presentation.

BELOW: Vine Collett at the World Skills contest. Vine, who was 3rd in the National ITaB contest at this year’s CBANZ conference is from Auckland.


By Jason McClintock

Operations Manager

Licensed Building Practitioner

From the desk at Operations

The Falls from Height regulations are not new, they have been in place for some time now. In the past the Department of Labour (DOL) has taken an advisory role allowing industry to embrace, thereby allowing market forces to implement. Unfortunately the residential sector did not embrace and implement, so the department now named Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment-Labour is taking on a more policing stance.

The enforcement of regulations through

the Falls from Height campaign has

certainly got the attention of the

residential sector, which is now scuffling

for practical, cost effective compliance

solutions.

Certified Builders Association has

engaged a working group made up of

members to thrash out practical measures

that have relevance to site needs, starting

with basic single level construction.

Current advice from the Department: If

you are seen doing nothing enforcement

will be swift. However, put in place risk

assessment and management of this and

they will be taking a more advisory role.

DOING NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION

A full report to date with details of

options for compliance is available on the

members login of the website within the

knowledge section.

Any items with the menu of compliance

as published by the Association does

not remove the best practice of risk and

hazard assessment. It is still essential to

consider Eliminate, Isolate and Minimise

and to perform recommended safety

management practices.

The Association has been focusing on

single level dwellings to date.

There is no “one size fits all” so each

situation will need to be assessed on its

own merits.

Exterior fall protection: Single level

Full perimeter scaffolding:

o Set up once framing is in place,

keep bracing within perimeter

of building were possible, set

up approx 1.0m below top plate

[ensure there is no more that

900mm from rafter end to catch

platform]

o A free standing scaffold that

allows for at least two inside

planks to be adjustable will allow

scaffold to stay in place during

soffit install [roofers are often

finishing off at this stage] it also

keeps access free for install of

build wrap and cill tapes

o Top rail 900mm min above

the point where a worker

could stand adjacent to edge

protection, more than three

guard rails may be needed

in some cases, no more than

450mm between first three

rails, toe boards where there is

assessed risk, a clear distance

between a mid rail and the toe

board or bottom rail should not

exceed 275mm

o Min 3 boards between eves and

guard rails, this is also utilised as

a catch platform for roof work

o Inspect and record

Benefits of this system:

o Exterior top plates can easily be

installed and marked for trusses

o If safety mesh is utilised,

installation is aided by exterior

scaffolding

o Allows trusses to be manoeuvred

and fixed from exterior, great for

jack trusses

o Aids the installation of stud,

plate, truss ties, first purlin/

batten, ribbon board, soffit

sprockets, short roll of build

wrap, fascia etc

o Top plate acts as fall protection

inside

Other options:

o Working platforms

o Some aspects of work can be

done from inside

o Edge protection

Falls from HeightDoing nothing is not an option


o Fixed roof ladders and crawl

boards

Interior fall protection: Single level

o Safety mesh, allows for most

tasks to be done as usual, also

aids with equipment falling

o Close up purlins or add a dog

purlin/batten between regular

spacings - 450mm

o When installing purlins or batten

start from bottom and nail as

work progresses so there is

always secure fall protection

behind you

o Ceiling battens 450mm or less

[consider any water that may be

trapped in battens]

o Interior working platforms, catch

platforms

o Wailing plates, or factory

installed gang nail truss nogs

o Crane work

o Fall arrest systems

o Mechanical access plant

o Roof ladders

o Planking/ply supported on top of

bottom cords

o Podium ladders [short duration

work]

o Trestle scaffold

o Where appropriate soft landing

systems

There is now an increasing demand for

scaffolding to site, some of which has

been dragged out from the back of the

store room. A scaffold company has been

prosecuted in Rotorua due to rotten

planks failing, we have also heard of

similar issues in Hamilton. Use reputable

companies as I’m sure we will start to

see scaffold companies emerge from the

woodwork.

Going forward:

There is a growing acceptance from

the residential sector that more safety

provisions have to be put in place, it is

your right to work in a safe environment.

What industry needs to ensure is everyone

is working from the same page, that

is; every site has safe working practices

and therefore no one tender or quote

is disadvantaged by underperforming

practitioners.

Certified Builders will continue sourcing

compliance means because we’re more

than good builders, we’re great builders.

This is what we are endorsing to the

public; this is what they will expect. In our

recent national survey members made it

quite clear you want the Association to

promote professionalism in all respects.

Our members should not be considered

the lowest denominator that pulls the bar

down for the rest of industry to work to.

In the interest of industry I urge you to

plan and implement.

Consider this; the builder working at the

site next door without any consideration

to safety may also have been the

builder that just under cut you on your

last contract you missed. Report under

performance.

Cost of doing business:

Yes it is going to cost, implementing

safe practice will filter down to the

homeowner. However do noting and

we will continue paying through

increasing ACC levies and ultimately New

Zealand Inc. pays through deaths and

rehabilitation.

DOING NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION

Passive House is THE lowest energy

building standard in the world. CBANZ

member Kim Feldborg is building a great

example of just this in Taupo. A big (300

m2), beautiful, comfortable home that

is cheap as to run; using about the same

amount of electricity per year as it takes

to run an old beer fridge. There are a few

significant differences from a building

code minimum house that make this

extreme performance possible.

There are five main differences: super

insulation, mechanical ventilation with

heat exchange, high performance

thermal windows, airtight construction

and thermal bridge free design. Some

of these are relatively simple to achieve

for a good designer/builder: add more

insulation, buy a special ventilation

system and order special windows, but

airtight construction and thermal bridge

free design can be quite difficult.

Passive House Taupo - 300m2 with attached garage.

LEFT: The five big differences – super insulation, mechanical ventilation with heat exchange, high performance thermal windows, airtight construction, and thermal bridge free design.

RIGHT: Section of Passive House

Taupo wall to slab connection.

Your Client Wants a Passive House?

Imagine you just got off the phone with the architect – your client wants a Passive House! What is a Passive House and why does he want one? And how much is all this going to cost?

Airtightness testing is required to show

that the house leaks about ten times less

than a modern code house. This is done

with a blower door that pressurises the

building and measures the air changes

per hour. To reduce the air leakage to the

required level demands careful attention

to the design and planning – it is not

just skill. I’m familiar with at least one

“almost Passive House” that didn’t make

it, so the client ended up without the

Passive House they wanted … and paid

for. No lawsuits but that was just luck.



Hi, I am Kim Feldborg and I am a

Carpenter/Builder by trade. I also

have a diploma in construction

management.

When my family and I moved to New

Zealand from Europe about 5½ years

ago, we rented a one year old house.

We were surprised to notice how

quickly the house cooled after the

heating was turned off at night, and

also the cost of keeping the living

area warm and comfortable. There

was no heating in the kids’ rooms or

in our bedroom. After a winter of that

experience I started to do some research

on energy efficient housing and came

across the Passive House concept and

realised that a passive house course had

just been launched at Unitec in Auckland.

My wife and I decided that this kind of

house was exactly what we were looking

for, so I started on a design but quickly

aBOUT SUSTaINaBLE ENGINEErING Ltd

Provides expert advice on:

Passive House, energy modeling

of buildings and HVAC systems,

Greenstar, and thermal modeling of

construction details.

Questions? Contact Jason Quinn at

[email protected].

Getting active – going Passive

Kim Feldborg on the site of his Passive House.

realised that I needed more knowledge

on the subject.

I signed up for the three week course at

Unitec in November last year. Since then

I have finished the house plans, got

building consent, and we started the

construction about four weeks ago.

Kim Feldborg, Valhalla Ltd

mobile: 0211900119

email: [email protected]

The section of the footing shows the

airtight membrane installed inside the

wall safely behind the cavity (and taped

to the slab) and is a good example of the

level of detail to look for. Airtightness

at this level must be planned – every

complicated intersection needs a detail

showing how the airtight membrane is

supposed to be installed. If the architect

/ designer / consultant hasn’t provided

the details, then you can count on it

leaking air.

The other “invisible” element to a Passive

House, is the thermal bridge free design.

Thermal bridges are locations in the

house where the heat loss is increased

over the heat loss in the rest of the

assembly. For example the heat loss

through the junction between the wall

and the floor slab is typically higher than

that through the wall or slab alone.

As Passive House heat losses are so

low, this additional heat loss can be

relatively large and must be accounted

for. Someone, typically a passive house

certified designer, must calculate the

additional heat loss for each thermal

bridge. If the heat loss is large, a design

solution to reduce or eliminate the

thermal bridge is developed, and another

detail to inform the builder needs to be

drawn up. This analysis and detail work

results in great performance but requires

much more design work than code

minimum construction.

Guidance on additional cost to build a

Passive House is very difficult as costs

depend heavily on design details. As a

rough guide, in Europe and the USA,

the additional construction cost has

been quoted at 8-12% for a residential

building.

At this cost level the energy savings over

the lifetime of the building can result in a

lower monthly bill (mortgage plus energy

bills) than a standard house.

Good to Great roadshow roundupWe have now finished our world tour of New Zealand with our Good to Great presentations. Twenty-five presentations, 22 regions and a carbon footprint to go with it. However, with the fantastic turnouts we do have hundreds of chippies managing their site risks better.

One stand-out feature for me was the

level of understanding of our members

as opposed to that of the non-aligned. I

witnessed members having a high level of

understanding and they often just needed

a few pointers confirmed. The non-aligned

often squirmed in their seats and then

asked questions that were not informed.

Recently I have received calls from those

who had not been able to attend looking

for information to better understand

just what are their day to day risks and

how can these be better managed. In this

article I will touch on a couple of points,

however my presentation notes are

available on the knowledge section of

the Certified Builders website.

Mitigating risk:

Be a great communicator with clients and

your community of craftsmen

• Detailed quotes/client’s scopes of

work which are user friendly

• Weekly builder’s reports

[LocknLoad is a great tool for this]

keep clients informed

• Transparency with P.C sums,

variations all recorded and

authorised by clients

• Site supervision, do not assume

the abilities of others, as main

contractor your responsibility is to

deliver the contract and ensure it

is fit for purpose

• Memos recording instructions

given to suppliers and sub-trades

• Collate and store information and

direction given, in a secure place,

LocknLoad is a great tool for this

• The Good to Great presentation

is available on the Knowledge

Centre www.certified.co.nz

“If it was not written down it did not

happen”

Contracts, contracts, contracts

At what value of work do you engage

a contract? How much can you leave on

the table or walk away from on that last

payment – that is the value you engage

in a contract.

• When the Building Amendment Bill

#4 is enforced homeowners will

expect a contract as part of their

build process, you would have seen

the ads already “engage an LBP

with a contract”

• Use the site hand book to guide

you through the paper shuffle of

licensing

LocknLoad smart technology using

your mobile phone

• It’s handy, quick and convenient

• Great for communicating with

clients, specialist trades, councils

• Stores information for the future,

if you were pulled into litigation

tomorrow for work you did 8-10

years ago could you find your

detailed records of site works?

• To capture detailed site works

through traditional means I would

estimate this should take about

20mins/week. With LocknLoad

you should be saving one hour

per month, that’s time for things

you enjoy or putting back into the

business. More importantly it’s

safe, chronologically stored and

defendable in court

• Easy set up of account/demo

remotely by LocknLoad, 30 day

free trial

• LocknLoad presentation now

available in the Knowledge Centre

at www.certified.co.nz

Insurances – another tool to reduce

the cost of making a mistake on site

• Insurance is a business tool to help

you manage your risk

• Other professionals such as

architects, designers, engineers and

inspectors all have professional

indemnity insurance in case they

make a mistake

Good Builder

Great Builder


• Licensing has not created more

liability, but it has highlighted

the liability that you have (see

the CBA Insurances presentation

in Knowledge Centre on

www.certified.co.nz for details

• The cost of defending yourself in

court proceedings can be very high

• Builders have not previously had

adequate cover for the risk of court

action for claims of financial loss by

unhappy clients

• Errors & Omissions Indemnity

is now available to protect you

from the cost of legal action and

damages arising from claims of

financial loss by clients

• You should all have a good public

liability policy in place, preferably

one that is tailored to the needs of

builders (such as that provided by

CBA Insurances), and be aware of

what it covers and what it doesn’t

• A specialist broker such as CBA

Insurances knows your industry well

and can get you the cover you need

at the best possible price. They can

manage all your insurance and they

fight for you at claim time.

Thank you to all who attended our

presentations.

Mai Aoake

Ben Rickard

Jason McClintock


Within the site handbook are four

templates one is a Record of Work for the

Carpentry licensed holder.

Recently the Hamilton City Council

rejected a member who submitted a ROW

from the site handbook claiming it was

not the “prescribed” form as stated within

the Building Act 2004. The Association

considered this conflicting with the advice

dispensed by the Department of Building

and Housing, who advised a ROW can be

modified as long as any modification was

not misleading.

In essence, our ROW are a cut and paste

of the front and rear of the DBH’s ROW

with added fields for detail placed within

the body. The Association saw this as best

practice to have works clearly detailed and

identified; this may prove valuable should

a practitioner be dragged into litigation.

After a tidy up of the ROW which

consisted of placing headings in bold,

the Association went to Craig Hill

Manager Operational Policy & Regulatory

Services of the now Ministry of Business,

Innovation & Employment for comment.

Response from the ministry

The Building (Form) Regulations 2004

state that: the use of [this] form is not

Council denies Certified Builder’s ROWinvalid only because it contains minor

differences from the prescribed form as

long as the form:

• has the same effect as the

prescribed form and is not

misleading; and

• it contains all the information

required by the prescribed form

and the information is in the

same order as it appears on the

prescribed form.

Having considered the CBANZ revised

ROW, I think it meets the above test and

should therefore be accepted by BCAs,

for the following reasons:

• it has the same effect as the

prescribed ROW form

• it is not misleading - it uses the

same headings as the prescribed

ROW form, and in fact it assists

LBPs by providing additional detail

to help them identify the RBW

work they are doing

• it contains all of the information

required by the prescribed ROW

form and

• the information is in the same

order as appears on the prescribed

ROW form.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation

& Employment considers that it is in

line with the Regulations and should

therefore be accepted.

CBANZ has not had issues with any other

BCAs, in fact many presidents comment

their local inspectors speak highly of the

guidance within. Should you experience

big brother flexing muscle the Association

would love to hear from you. BCAs don’t

always get it right and CBANZ is happy

to work with them to have us all signing

from the same page. – Jason McClintock

To purchase your

Site Handbooks

please contact

Millie Turkington

at National

Support Office on

0800 Certified or

email Millie.t@

certified.co.nz

you will receive

5 Handbooks

for $10 inclusive

of GST and

postage.

Volume 4

at ground level

• Checktheclearanceofthecladdingfromtheground.

Options may be to lower a built-up garden area or

provide paving that falls away from the house, but if this

is not possible seek expert help.

• Checkdoorwaysandimaginehowanyfloodingor

puddles of rainwater might affect the doorway. Water

does not need to flow through the doorway to cause

problems, but may flow under the sill. It is possible that

water might also enter through splashing. The ground

may need to be re-contoured, or in the worst case, doors

removed and raised.

Courtesy of consumerbuild.org.nz

Read next month for Decks

As a Certified Builder you can display the Homefirst logo on your website and other promotional material

•Itreassurespotentialclientsthatyou’rebackedbyanindependent

10 year guarantee.

•Ithelpsyoustandoutfromthecrowdofbuildersthatcan’toffera

guarantee.

•[email protected].

Guarantees and insurance for the building industry

www.builtin.co.nz ph: 07 579 6259 email: [email protected]

To become a WaterTight Approved Builder contact

Ben on: 07 579 6259 email: [email protected]

www.watertightwarranty.co.nz

Underwritten by CBL Insurance Limited

HOW TO SPOT A LEAKY BUILDING


29

JOKE OF THE MONTHSend your jokes in to: [email protected]

INSURANCE TIPS FOR BUILDERSYour insurance questions answered. Send your questions in to: [email protected]

Is my policy an “occurrence” or a “claims made” one?

This is important for liability claims, because the event that causes a claim may actually have happened many years before

you’re held liable. You need to know if the policy you have now, or the policy you had then, pays.

Occurrence policies• Eventhoughapolicymayhaveexpiredwhenyouneedtomakeaclaim,itwillcoveryouiftheeventcausingtheclaimhap-

pened during the term of the policy.

• Occurrencepoliciesaresometimeslike“moneyinthebank,”inthatyoucangobacktooldpolicies,yearsaftertheyhave

lapsed, and put a claim against them for incidents that happened while they were in force.

• Publicliabilitypoliciesareusuallyoccurrence-based*

Claims made policies• Thistypeofpolicymustbeinplaceatthetimeaclaimismade,butitdoesnotmatterwhentheeventthatcausedtheclaim

happened.

• Ifthepolicyincludesa“retroactivedate”thenitwillonlycovereventsthathappenedafterthatdate.

• Errors&OmissionsIndemnityandProfessionalIndemnitypoliciesareusuallyclaimsmade-based*

*Not all policies are the same and you should check the wording of your own

I’m thinking about doing builders reports, can I get insurance for this?

LIABILITY

Public LiabilityStatutory LiabilityEmployers Liability

Professional IndemnityLBP Insurance

Errors & Omissions Cover

COMMeRCIALContract Works

ToolsVehicles

and more ....

Yes you can, but we will have to go to overseas insurers and it will be very expensive. We can’t get meaningful cover from

New Zealand insurers for this activity, as it is considered too high risk.


These young rugby players are “stoked”

to receive some of the second batch

of 100 blue Certified Builders branded

drink bottles. The Stoke under 7 years

RED rugby team were thrilled to get

their drink bottles and the parents said

they were pleased the bottles were back

again this year as they appreciated the

quality of them.

The bottles are a great way to get our

Certified Builders brand out there in the

community.

Pictured (back left) is the team’s

Certified Builder and coach Jo Neale.

Grab yourself some new Certified Builders brochures – a great FREE marketing tool to include with your quotes and invoices.

FREE for all members!

Order yours at the online shop on the Certified Builders website

www.certified.co.nz

Attention

Platinum Members!

LOUD! Shirt Day

The team at National Support Office decided to do the bright thing recently and play it loud to raise funds for deaf kids to learn to listen and talk like their hearing friends. Loud Shirt Day is a great reason to rifle through the wardrobe and commit serious fashion crimes and have a whole lot of fun at work.

AROUND THE REGIONS Nelson


Health and safety tips

Employers should undertake a risk

management process in order to protect

workers by preventing and minimising

the risk of injuries.

Loss of balance and falling

• Usethemosteffectivemeansof

‘falls protection’ measures available,

such as scaffolding, guard railing

and appropriate physical barriers.

A workplace injury can be a pain in the back

• Ensurethatyourbuildingsite

working areas and access ways are

clear of any obstructions that may

lead to an accident.

• Wherepossibleusemechanical

equipment like scissor lifts which

allow work to occur without

reaching.

• Providesafeaccesstoupperfloors.

Lifting, carrying and straining

• Usemechanicalloadshiftingdevices

such as cranes, hoists and hand

trucks to move materials around the

worksite.

By Malcolm Francis, ACC Programme

Manager, Injury Prevention

• Fittemporaryliftingpointsor

handles to heavy or awkward loads.

• Ifmanualliftingisrequired,make

sure you have enough workers

available to complete the task.

• Remembertheoldsaying“Many

hands make light work.”

Hearing loss

• Ensurethathearingprotectionis

supplied and used at all times.

• Placewarningsignsinareasof

excessive noise – above 85 decibels.

• Checknoisytoolstoensurethat

they are well maintained and when

possible, separate workers from

noisy activities.

Collision with or knocked over by an

object or being hit by a falling object

• Keepworkandaccessareasclear.

• Removeunwantedmaterials

and construction waste from

the worksite so that it does not

accumulate.

• Ensurethatallpowerleadsand

other tools and equipment are

positioned so as not to cause a

tripping hazard.

• Avoidattachingbracingacrossdoor

frames where people are likely to

walk through.

punctures and cuts

• Checkthatalltoolguardsfunction

correctly and are safe to use.

• Makesurethatallworkerswear

the appropriate PPE such as gloves,

safety boots and knee protection

pads.

• Makesurethatanyexposednails

and other sharp objects are removed

or hammered in.

For more information

about workplace safety visit

www.acc.co.nz/preventing-injuries

So how are people who are involved in building houses getting injured?

33inhouse October-November 2012 33

Barry’s story

Barry and Cindy are both in their fifties

and own a small successful residential

construction company in an industry with

one of the highest injury rates. They lead

a comfortable but not excessive lifestyle.

After their two adult children moved out

of the family home, Barry and Cindy made

plans to take a long overdue holiday and

travel overseas. But their plans didn’t fall

nicely into place – Barry fell instead.

At the time of Barry’s accident, he and

three of his workers were assembling the

roof trusses on a new house they were

building. Barry and one of the workers

were both standing on a top plate

moving the roof trusses into position –

they were not using any ‘falls protection’

such as scaffolding.

Barry lost his balance and fell three

Did you know?

• Over12,000peopleworkinginthe

residential construction area are

injured while at work each year.

• Theimpactoftheseinjuriescost

over $30 million.

• Makingsurethatyourworkplace

is safe is the only way that we can

reduce the impact of workplace

injuries.

metres, landing on the concrete floor

below. He received a serious back

injury and was admitted to hospital,

where he spent six months in the spinal

unit followed by a long rehabilitation

programme.

Barry’s recovery was slow – he tires easily

and still has difficulty walking; needing

a wheel chair or a walking frame to

move around. The impact of Barry’s

injuries meant that he could not work on

construction sites and bookwork was best

managed by Cindy. The situation was

stressful for Cindy, whose time was split

between caring for Barry as well as trying

to keep their business up and running.

In the end they had to sell their business,

put their overseas travel on hold and

review their long-term plans for the future.

Everyone in the workplace is responsible

for creating and maintaining a safe place to

work. So the next time you see an unsafe

action or situation, do something about it

– don’t leave it to someone else. Otherwise

you may have a story to tell like Barry’s.


Danny Jacobson & Trudy Marshall e2Law — Employment &

Environment Law

The following questions have arisen in cases in which e2Law has recently been involved:

COMPLAINT OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Q: We are a medium sized building

company. We have received a

letter of complaint from an office

employee who is claiming that

she has been sexually harassed

by one of our foremen. She has

provided a lot of detail to support

her claims including copies of

emails the manager has written.

On our reading of those, there has

definitely been sexual harassment.

We believe we can and should

dismiss this foreman as this

behaviour is totally unacceptable.

Can we do this?

A: This is not an easy issue for an

employer to deal with as you have

obligations to both the employee

making the complaint and to

the employee being complained

about. The Employment Relations

Act also contains a definition of

“sexual harassment” and specific

provisions dealing with sexual

harassment which you will need

to consider and comply with. The

legal position is slightly different

depending on whether the

alleged sexual harassment has

been by the employer (including a

representative of an employer) or by

a colleague or customer.

You need to carry out an initial

investigation to determine whether

there has been sexual harassment

as defined in the legislation. This

investigation needs to be carefully

managed and should include a

meeting with the employee being

complained about to give him

the opportunity to respond to the

complaint. If your investigation

finds that the complaint of sexual

harassment has been made out,

then at this stage, you should decide

whether to commence formal

disciplinary action which could

result in dismissal.

ACCEPTING HELP FROMVOLUNTEERS

Q: We have been approached

about having a small number of

volunteer workers in our building

and maintenance business to give

them industry work experience

and increase their chances of

finding employment elsewhere.

Is there anything we need to be

aware of so that we don’t end up

breaching employment legislation

or requirements?

A: We have dealt with cases where

volunteers have later claimed to

be employees and pursued claims

under the employment legislation,

so this is a very valid question. A

volunteer does not come within the

definition of “employee” under

the Employment Relations Act

and is therefore not covered by

employment legislation. The Act

defines a volunteer as someone

who:

a. does not expect to be rewarded

for work to be performed as a

volunteer; and

b. receives no reward for work

performed as a volunteer.

We recommend that you provide

a letter to any intending volunteer

confirming the terms of the

arrangement, which will include

that the person is to be a volunteer

for a certain period, that there is

no expectation of being paid or

rewarded for work to be performed

and that no payment or reward will

be made. The intending volunteer

should sign the letter. This will then

assist you to manage your legal risk

in taking on volunteers.

REPEATED BEREAVEMENT LEAVE

Q: We operate a very small building

business. One of our staff has

needed to take time off work on

a number of occasions in the last

year to attend funerals. In at least

two cases, the funerals have been

for friends or acquaintances, rather

than close family members. For

each absence, the employee has

claimed and expected to be paid 3

day’s bereavement leave. To date,

we have treated the absences as

bereavement leave.

Do we have to continue to do so if

this happens again as this is coming

at a real cost to our small business?

A: The entitlement to 3 day’s

bereavement leave is only for the

Q&A – the law at work


Trudy Marshall and Danny Jacobson are

Partners at Employment & Environment

Law, Barristers and Solicitors, Tauranga.

They operate the Employment Helpline for

CBANZ members: ph 07 928 0529. They

have also produced a Guide for Employers

in the Construction Industry which CBANZ

can send out to members on request.

(The above is by its nature general, and is not intended to be a substitute for legal advice).

death of a spouse/partner, parent,

child, brother/sister, grandparent,

grandchild, or the parent of spouse/

partner. There is an entitlement

to 1 day’s bereavement leave if

you accept that the employee has

suffered a bereavement in relation to

someone else’s death. In considering

whether your employee has suffered

a bereavement in relation to anyone

else’s death, you must have regard to

relevant factors, such as:

• The closeness of association

between the employee and the

deceased person;

• Whether your employee has

significant responsibility for all or any

of the arrangements for ceremonies

relating to the death;

• Any cultural responsibilities of your

employee in relation to the death.

It is ultimately your decision and there

is no automatic right to the 1 day’s

bereavement leave. For the future, you

will only have to grant your employee

3 day’s bereavement leave if there is a

death of any of the persons specifically

mentioned above.

In any other case, you can decide

whether to grant 1 day’s leave

depending on the circumstances.

If there is no entitlement to

bereavement leave, then your

employee has no right to simply

take the day off – he would

either have to request that you

agree to him taking the time off

as annual leave or to seek your

agreement to him taking a day’s

leave without pay. Given your past

practice of treating his absences as

bereavement leave, we recommend

that you clarify with him how you

intend to deal with this in the

future.

Being licensed means you must maintain

your skills and knowledge.

Keeping a diary of your points

You can update your skills maintenance

records using the LBP online system.

If you do not wish to use the online

system you can record your points in

your work diary and update the ‘record

of skills maintenance form’ yearly (and

get a bonus point) or two yearly. When

due, the Registrar will attach the ‘record

of skills maintenance form’ with your

annual relicensing.

One hour of activity earns one point for

skills maintenance.

EARNING YOUR POINTS

Don’t forget IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBLITY

to keep your own register of points

accrued and evidence of attendance

so you can earn Licensed Building

Practitioner Points.

37inhouse October-November 2012 37

helplines6 FrEE

EmploymentAdvice on any employment-related issue

is available from specialist Tauranga law

firm, Employment & Environment Law.

Danny Jacobson and Trudy Marshall will

assess the employment issue and give

general guidance on the best options in

phone sessions of approx 5-10 minutes. It

is not intended as a substitute for formal

employment/legal advice. You must

identify yourself as a CBANZ member

and any information you disclose will be

treated with confidence.

Ph 07 928 0529 or 021 857 529


Danny Jacobson

Trudy Marshall

For help with contracts issues contact

Peter Degerholm at Calderglen

Associates. Phone sessions are limited

to 20 minutes and written questions

must be kept brief though they

may include relevant extracts from

documents.

Peter Degerholm Ph 04 587 0061

or 021 307 232 Fax 04 587 0062


Peter Degerholm

Contracts

General business, accounting or tax

Steve Brocklebank

For general business, accounting or tax

issues you can contact Steve Brocklebank

of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Phone

sessions are limited to 10 minutes at

first, and emails should be kept to the

point. You must identify yourself as a CBANZ member

and any information you disclose will be treated with

confidence.

Steve Brocklebank Ph 03 470 3615 or 027 433 6025


Business-related legal issues

For advice on business-related legal issues,

Auckland commercial law firm Madison

Hardy is offering a free service to CBANZ

members. It will only cost you the price

of the phone call. Free advice sessions are

limited to 20 minutes.

Experienced lawyer, and CBANZ director

Geoff Hardy and junior lawyer Gagan

Tangri will answer your queries, during

business hours.

Geoff Hardy Ph 09 379 0700

Gagan Tangri Ph 09 970 9567

Geoff Hardy

Gagan Tangri

web: www.e2law.co.nz

Health & Safety

Jamie Potter

Advice on any Health and Safety issue is

available from the team at HazardCo. This

includes a free advice session – limited to

30 minutes – which can include advice on

incident management, your requirements

under the Health and Safety in Employment

Act and best practice Health and Safety

Management systems.

Ph 0800 555 339


Insurance

Jim Rickard

For advice on any insurance-related issue

contact Jim Rickard at CBA Insurances. If

you have your own broker they should be

your first point of contact. However, Jim

is happy to help with any claims problems

and with any general question about what

cover you should have as a builder.

Ph. 07 579 6259 or 0274 505 528


Using thermal mass effectivelyBy Verney Ryan, Beacon Pathway Inc.

In the last issue, I wrote about the importance of designing for the sun – ensuring the home’s siting, layout and windows are oriented to make the most of the sun. It makes sense to use the sun’s free warmth to heat a home in winter while designing to keep the hot sun out in summer.

Another way to effectively capture the

sun for heating is to use a thermal mass

floor or wall. The term ‘thermal mass’

describes the ability of materials to

absorb, store and release heat.

The best thermal mass materials are

those that are dense, such as concrete,

brick or stone. They work by using a

simple principle of physics: that heat

moves from warmer areas to cooler

areas. These materials absorb and store

the heat from direct sunlight and heated

indoor air. Then at night when the air

temperature drops, the heat will radiate

from the warmer thermal mass to the

cooler air and other surfaces in the room.

Meanwhile, in summer when the air

temperature is warmer than the thermal

mass, the floor or wall draws the warmth

from the surrounding air, cooling the

room.

By absorbing heat during warm parts

of the day and radiating it out when it

is colder, thermal mass acts to prevent

large changes of indoor temperature as

the outdoor temperatures rise or fall. It

can help maintain uniform comfortable

temperatures inside a home year round.

Because thermal mass is such a great

conductor of heat, insulation is critical.

Without insulation, thermal mass can

make a home colder by moving the

warmth from inside the home to the

cooler air or ground outside.

How can thermal mass be incorporated into a house?

You can include thermal mass in a

number of ways but the most typical is

within a floor or wall. An insulated solid

concrete slab on the ground is the most

commonly found example of a thermal

mass floor, although you can also use

concrete blocks, bricks, rammed earth

or stone. The surface can be polished

or tiled but, because you need direct

exposure to heat for thermal mass to

work, it is best left un-carpeted.

If you don’t want the entire floor

exposed, a strip of insulated thermal

How thermal mass works.

•DOinsulatethethermalmasstostop

heat loss into the outside air and

ground. For a concrete slab floor,

insulate both underneath and around

the slab edge with a minimum of

50mm ‘S grade’ expanded polystyrene

(EPS) board. Install this over the damp

proof membrane prior to the slab

being poured. For a thermal mass

wall with an external face (including

into uninsulated garages), insulate

the EXTERNAL surface to prevent heat

loss and leave the INSIDE face exposed

to the sun or heat (ideally without

internal lining, although it can be

plastered, painted or papered).

•DOensureyourthermalmassflooror

wall will be exposed to direct sunlight

in winter - the north side of the house

is generally best. Alternatively, you

can use thermal mass near a wood

burner, heater or other source of

radiant heat.

•DON’Tusethermalmassincold

unheated areas, south-facing rooms,

or away from the winter sun.

•DOcalculatethecorrectthicknessfor

optimal performance. A good rule

of thumb for New Zealand climates

is that concrete slab floors should

be 100-200mm thick for the best

performance, while thermal mass

walls should be 100-150mm thick. Too

thick and the wall and floors will take

too long to heat. Too thin and they

won’t store enough heat.

•DON’Tcoverthermalmassfloors

as carpet, rugs, lino, cork or timber

coverings will not let the heat

through. However, you can cover

areas of the floor which do not

receive direct sunlight.

•DOensureallroomswhichareheated

through thermal mass are well

DO’S AND DON’TS Thermal Mass



For further information about Beacon Pathway visit www.beaconpathway.co.nz

The Waitakere NOW Home, a

monitored research home, included

a 100mm thick insulated concrete

slab to store the sun’s warmth and

release it later in the day when

the temperature drops. The slab

was insulated with polystyrene

insulation underneath and around

its edges. The concrete floor was

coloured, polished and left exposed

in all the north-facing living areas

to collect and store heat more

effectively.

Sun poured into the house during

the day, and at night, the family

living in the house reported that

warmth radiated back off the

polished concrete floor. Monitoring

showed that the Waitakere NOW

Home kept very warm: it only needed

additional heating on two days per

year to achieve comfortable healthy

temperatures. The living room had

an average winter temperature

of 21.6°C and the bedrooms had

an average night-time winter

temperatures of 17.4°C -17.7°C. These

temperatures all exceeded World

Health Organisation minimums of

18°C for living areas and 16°C for

bedrooms.insulated – we recommend insulating

to above minimum Building Code

levels.

•DOensurethehouseisdesignedto

let through cool summer breezes and

is shaded from hot summer sun to

prevent the thermal mass absorbing

and releasing too much heat in

summer.

•DOrememberthatconcretewillnot

perform at its best until it has dried

out. Drying time will vary depending

on humidity and thickness. A 100mm

thick slab can take four months to

dry out (longer in winter), and thicker

slabs will take longer.

mass material along the sunny side of a

room – for example, a metre or so wide -

can also work well.

Brick, concrete, concrete block (including

insulated and aerated types) and

rammed earth can be used for walls

if they catch the sun or are close to a

radiant heat source (such as a wood or

pellet burner).

There are other options including:

• atrombewall–anorth-facingheavy

wall made of concrete or some

other thermal mass material, located

behind a layer of glass. The heat

takes several hours to travel through

the wall before it is released into the

home’s living areas in late afternoon

or early evening as the temperature

starts to fall.

• aconservatory–usethermal

mass in the floor of a north-

facing conservatory, or in the wall

separating the conservatory from the

main part of the home.

• agabionbasket–lowwireormetal

baskets containing rocks, placed

behind glazing. Gabions can be used

as internal window seats or feature

walls.

For more information:

www.level.org.nz/passive-design/thermal-

mass/

www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs49.

html

Waitakere NOW HomeCASE STUDY:

Polished and coloured concrete floors in the Waitakere NOW Home.

The concrete slab is poured over EPS insulation.


as

Builders brag page

Ph: 0800 486 834 (0800 HUNT FISH)

Shop online or register for catalogues

www.huntingandfishing.co.nz

Send us in your hunting & fishing pics

and we’ll reward those that get

published on this page with a

Hunting & Fishing New Zealand

Fleece Gutbusta Bush Shirt

valued at $39.99.

Send photos to:

Builders Brag Page

PO Box 4472

Palmerston North

Or email in hi-res to [email protected]

(be sure and identify clearly that you are sending an entry for

the Certified Builders Brag Page as well as full contact details!)

Please note photos submitted must be from a CBANZ or ITaB

member or a company affliated with Certified Builders.

31 stores nationwide

Above: Jim Kroening of Timaru with a fallow deer taken in the Caples River area.

Left: Alex Watson, ITaB apprentice builder to Shaun Bradley Builders shot these two goats hunting in Canterbury


Skills Maintenance Activity

When you participate in our learning activity you should claim points in your diary. 1 hour of learning = 1 point. And be sure to write down how and what you learnt.

IRD’s compliance focus for 2012-13

What is Inland Revenue doing to improve compliance over the coming year? How can you ensure your taxes are in order? It’s all set out in this year’s compliance focus document, as Inland Revenue explains in the following article.

Recently, we released our annual

compliance focus document aimed at

helping New Zealanders meet their tax

obligations.

Our tax pays for the things that make

New Zealand a great place to live. It

funds essential services like health care,

education and safer communities, so

as a taxpayer you contribute to the

wellbeing of our people and communities

– including you.

We raise awareness of compliance issues

to encourage you to review your own

situation and check that everything’s in

order.

Helping you get it right - Inland

Revenue’s compliance focus 2012-13,

outlines the key compliance areas we will

be working on over the coming year. It

also highlights what you can do if you

think you’ve got it wrong.

It remains important to us to provide a

range of services and practical support

to help make it easy to meet your

obligations. We now have community

compliance officers who provide a broad

service to local communities by talking

to customers, providing help and advice,

spotting potential non-compliance and

putting in place remedies to prevent it.

Other initiatives we have been working

on to help you with your tax obligations

include launching our new online GST

(eGST) filing return service, and exploring

ways to help improve awareness of

record keeping requirements.

Most people and businesses do the

right thing by paying the right amount

of tax and claiming only the social

support they’re entitled to. We continue

to detect and take action against the

small proportion that chooses not to

comply with their tax obligations. We

have continued to focus on the hidden

economy, as well as targeting debt – and

we are seeing good results in these areas.

Looking to the year ahead

This year, the Government has allocated

Inland Revenue additional funding to

continue our focus on reducing the level

of outstanding tax returns, overdue debt,

and to increase our focus on addressing

fraud. We will also continue our efforts in

the hidden economy space.

We will continue to work on improving

our online services and self-management

options to provide you with a better,

faster service.

Read more about Helping you get it

right - Inland Revenue’s compliance focus

2012-13 on our website, www.ird.govt.nz

(keywords: compliance focus).

October/November 2012 Inhouse

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Transcript of October/November 2012 Inhouse