12. Question No. 12—Building and ConstructionANDREW BAYLY (National—Port Waikato) to the Minister for Building and ConstructionQuestion No. 12—Building and Construction12. ANDREW BAYLY (National—Port Waikato) to the Minister for Building and Construction: Does she stand by her statement that the Government began working on the plasterboard shortage months ago"; if so why did the Government only appoint their reported high-level taskforce at the start of the week?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister for Building and Construction): Yes. In answer to the second part of the question: because this was the logical next step in a series of Government actions ongoing since 31 August 2021.Andrew Bayly: Why if imported plasterboard meets NZS 2588 standard can't she instruct the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to issue the acceptance notice and require councils to allow builders to use it immediately?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: As we've been discussing throughout the week that guidance has been issued. The first step of it was at the end of last year. Further guidance has been issued to building and consent authorities in June of this year. If the member is suggesting that we should take the approach that is contained in his member's bill we will end up in a situation where buildings do not get issued with code of compliance. The flow-on effects of that is they will not be insured banks will not lend on them and the buildings will not be able to be sold.Andrew Bayly: If the plasterboard meets the New Zealand standard why wouldn't she tell MBIE to issue a guidance notice to the councils that they must accept it on site because it already meets the New Zealand standard?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: As we've been through—and I encourage the member to go and have a look at the guidance that has been issued to the building and consent authorities—for those plasterboards that do meet the functional requirements around either structural or fire retardant there has been guidance issued to building and consent authorities to use those products as a substitution.Andrew Bayly: Is she aware in June last year that the then Minister for Building and Construction Poto Williams said in a select committee that in respect of building material shortages including plasterboard "This is a very live issue for everybody. It's an issue for developers it's an issue for builders it's an issue for the sector so we are not going to let this lie."?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I'm not aware of the exact comments but I'm not surprised. Nor am I surprised by a series of events only a couple of months after that when on 31 August Fletcher Building wrote to MBIE regarding the alert 4 implications that there were for plasterboard.Hon Todd McClay: What happened?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: And then on the—I'm glad you asked whoever that was. On 1 September one day after receiving that letter there was an initial briefing to Ministers on the Fletcher Building letter. On 3 September the proposal to address issues was outlined in the Fletcher Building letter in the briefing to Ministers. On 7 September the proposal was discussed and agreed to at the COVID-19 Ministerial Group. And on 10 September only 10 days after receiving that letter the MBIE chief executive authorised certain businesses or services that were located in the alert level 4 area to operate at alert level 4 for business manufacturing. I think we can see that our Government has taken swift action over a number of months on this issue.Andrew Bayly: Isn't it the case that apart from issuing new guidance by MBIE last November in announcing a new working group this week neither the Minister nor her predecessor has done anything to address the plasterboard crisis?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I encourage that member to actually listen to answers to the supplementary questions that he asks. I just went through a sequence of events where a health order allowed for the manufacture in alert level 4 conditions of Gib plasterboard.Andrew Bayly: Does she stand by her statement that "This is a group of private sector experts brought together to advise me to ensure the effective and swift execution and implementation of measures taking place."; if so will the Government take another 12 months to implement her "swift executions"?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: In answer to the first part of the question yes. In answer to the second part of the question no.Andrew Bayly: Does she agree with her statement yesterday that "I fail to see why it is the Opposition are so adverse to working with the private sector on solving this."; if so why doesn't she support the bill from this side of the House that did involve extensive consultation with the private sector and drew on the expertise of legal experts?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I've already given an answer to that in the answer to an earlier supplementary question. The advice I've got is that the bill that the member has introduced further complicates and actually makes more bureaucratic the process which we've improved by issuing guidance. But furthermore and more concerning to me is we'd have a situation under that member's proposals where buildings would not be issued with code compliance they would not be able to be insured banks would not lend on them and those that owned those buildings would not be able to sell them.SPEAKER: I declare the House in committee for further consideration of the Commerce (Grocery Sector Covenants) Amendment Bill."