I specifically asked our new leader David Cunliffe if I could take on, again, the role of building and construction spokesman. I have a son who is a carpenter and many other family members who earn their living from the construction industry, both in New Zealand and Australia. 

This is an industry which is very important in terms of the Christchurch rebuild, wide scale development in greater Auckland, our KiwiBuild signature policy, and the broader challenges regarding productivity. In 2008, during the final stages of the Helen Clark Labour government, I was Minister of Building and Construction. There were high moments along with forgettable incidents such as the unfortunate promotion of reduced pressure showerheads on television, a damp squib idea if ever there was one personally for me!  

After the 2014 election I will be a Minister who is loath to introduce new layers of regulation unless we also toss out earlier bouts of regulatory product. On matters pertaining to construction safety, productivity and the Christchurch rebuild I will try to find common ground with my opposite number, Hon Maurice Williamson. This is to ensure that the fights I have do not undermine the sector’s need for stability. After all, we know that the industry has been through huge volatility and still struggles with a credibility problem after the leaky homes catastrophe.

Engineers, as a profession, ought to do well out of the Christchurch rebuild. They are probably ‘gun shy’ given the extent of damage and death after the earthquake. I look forward to working closely with their professional body to ensure standards are high and training is promoted to deal with the shortage of personnel. There is a looming issue of far too few trained workers in the construction industry for our building demands with the rebuild getting under way.

There are on-going issues surrounding earthquake prone buildings and what the standards should be. Labour wants to tackle the issues as soon as possible by ensuring robust earthquake standards prevent future damage and deaths. The Builders’ Registration Scheme was initiated by my colleague Clayton Cosgrove, who preceded me as Minister. It has continued under the current minister’s stewardship. I think that as it grows, we should give more responsibility to builders. We should adopt a temperate approach towards low risk building activity. Indeed I envisage a time when builders, like plumbers, can self-consent. This will provide more discipline for consent agencies who allocate compliance resources. 

I expect to work collaboratively with education ministers to ensure that vocations critical to this sector are not marginalised. Whilst we do draw on overseas personnel in various industries, home-grown talent is what the community wish to see and hear about. It is disappointing to hear that training is still inadequate for the needs of this industry, quite weird given the large number of school leavers eager to achieve qualifications in this sector.

I also hold the role of forestry spokesperson. I will be vigorously promoting the primacy of New Zealand wood products in the Christchurch rebuild, especially on those projects funded by the Crown balance sheet. This may seem unorthodox but it will be positive for those companies and employees in the wood processing arena. Local Government reform is happening in a host of regions and particularly in Northland, Hawkes Bay and Wellington. It is essential that building consent compliance activity is not further complicated by these reforms. Anecdotal reports from builders regarding the Auckland Super City suggest that bigger is not always best. The debacle around Christchurch City Council building consent processes shows there is a major upgrade required if we are to avoid excessive delay.

In brief, things are not currently moving fast enough in building and construction. A Labour government would work with the construction industry to help get it back on its feet and ensure that we have enough apprentices and industry trainees going through the system. Our KiwiBuild programme would see 100,000 affordable homes built over ten years in partnership with private sector builders to help get the housing market back up to speed. 

Quite an exciting time for the sector to look forward to!