Building training 'priority'

An urgent return to apprenticeship-based training systems is one of the New Zealand Institute of Building recommendations for avoiding leaky buildings.

The institute told a parliamentary select committee yesterday a "systematic breakdown in all aspects" of construction contributed to the leaky cladding problem.

Industry accountability and training that could be checked through a registration system was needed.

"The fundamental decline in the level of training and ... skills in the building industry is across the whole range of disciplines, however, it is at its worst at trade level," the institute said in its submission. Training was inconsistent and, in some cases, totally inadequate.

The institute recommended an "urgent return" to time-served apprenticeships, which included day-release periods for workers to attend trade training institutes.

The industry needed to attract higher-calibre workers. Having a central authority certifying workers could improve the public's perception of trade jobs.

Builders and key subcontractors should also be registered or licensed.

Other recommendations included compulsory site experience for apprentices because some graduates lacked practical knowledge of construction.

Building designs should include full cladding and weathertightness provisions, including flashing details, and the Building Code should be more specific about typical building requirements.

Also needed was the appointment of a construction minister because there was no point of contact inside the Government.

Kapiti Coast District Council building control manager Ken Smith pointed, in his submission, to difficulties in administering more control over building, particularly the plan to split inspections between building certifiers and territorial authorities.

He urged that "certifiers [should] be permitted to be responsible for the entire process of monolithic claddings while they remain alternative solutions or that the Building Code be changed" to include rules on the use of monolithic cladding.

Meanwhile, the Internal Affairs' weathertight homes resolution service is processing about 500 applications for assessments of properties, mostly in Auckland.

Co-ordinator Richard Martin said assessors would look at the damage and likely causes and produce cost estimates. Homeowners could choose voluntary mediation or compulsory adjudication.

- NZPA

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Herald feature: Leaky buildings

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