Beyond the Building Code

Bob Burnett:
‍“The New Zealand Building Code standards are at least 20 years behind international best practice. It’s the lowest quality house you’re legally allowed to build in New Zealand”

Bernice Cumming:
‍“We’re not waiting for legislation, we’re actually doing it anyway, we’re decarbonising right now and passing that on to everybody – you don’t have to wait, every individual can make a difference.”

Dan Saunders:
‍“Minimum Code is not good enough. The Superhome standard is well above the current Building Code. Even though the Building Code has been lifted a little bit, it’s still not enough, it’s not a holistic approach.”

Guy Gillespie:
‍“The Building Code is on the move – it’s changing because of pressure from the likes of Superhome. It was not performing the way it needs to here in New Zealand and has been slow to change, but it is changing. At Superhome, we are building homes ahead of our time, but there will come a time when these are normal.”

Peter Davis:
‍“Rather than sticking with what’s currently acceptable as a minimum standard in the Building Code, we’ve wanted to do things that make a bit more sense in terms of the durability and health of the participant.”

Dave Gunter:
‍“If you just build to the standard you’re going to have a cold mouldy house, whereas if we put a bit more insulation in, put some ventilation in, your client is going to be happy, in a warm healthy house.”

Heath Coleman:
‍“One of the biggest opportunities I see in the New Zealand Building Code is around future proofing homes for renewable energy. I believe every new home should be pre wired for solar, batteries, and EV chargers as a minimum standard similar to recent healthy homes standards. This would ensure our housing stock is ready for the rapid transition to clean energy, while avoiding the cost and complexity of retrofitting later.”