Our Strategies

Strategy: Building and enabling access to, sector-related information and knowledge

What we will do

We will develop, facilitate the development of, or access targeted local, regional, national and international technical, market and social information and research, which we will apply to our advice and services, and share with others.

Why we will do it

Intermediate Outcome

• Buildings and homes are built and maintained to standards that reflect consumer, user and community expectations.
• The building and housing sector has the capacity and capability to meet the needs of the market.
• Regulators have the capacity and capability to develop and/or apply the building regulatory regime.
• The building and housing sector balances user and provider needs.

Access to relevant, up-to-date information and knowledge is at the heart of any industry that intends to continue developing. In order to undertake its own role, the Department must be aware of and access sector-related information and knowledge that applies to its advice and services, and share it with sector participants. The Department acts as a conduit connecting others with such information and knowledge.

By being aware of changes occurring and issues emerging within the industry we and other stakeholders will be better placed to give good advice and make informed decisions.

How we will do it

This strategy involves the Department monitoring, applying and reporting on sector information. As well as developing its capability to monitor the sector, the Department will actively contribute to a better understanding of the significance of the building and housing sector to government's housing outcomes, including the sector's capacity to meet increasing demands for high-quality and affordable housing. Another aspect is maintaining awareness of national and international research developments.

What we will deliver

To be successful the Department must have a good knowledge of the sector. To this end we are developing our sector monitoring capability.

A critical part of this strategy over the next 3 years will be the:

• establishment of the Chief Executive's Building Advisory Panel
• development of a sector monitoring strategy to improve the Department and government's understanding of the building and housing sector, including establishing whether there is a supply/demand mismatch in the housing market
• collection, analysis and dissemination of industry and market (building and housing) performance data
• collection and dissemination of recent local and international building research and performance information relevant to New Zealand conditions and buildings
• development of an evaluation strategy to ensure the Department's services and regulatory interventions are effectively contributing to sector outcomes and objectives
• influencing, co-ordinating and commissioning of research into the building and housing sector.

Issues surrounding weathertightness dominated the BRANZ Industry Research Needs Survey 2004, with 82 percent of respondents rating building envelope research as important.

The NOW home project - a partnership between Forest Research, Waitakere City, Building Research and Fletcher Building - investigates ways in which new housing can be designed differently to incorporate the changing needs (social, economic and environmental) of our society.

This is an example of the innovation occurring in the housing sector.

The NOW home itself will be a built house that demonstrates the best use of today's technologies, in the pathway to buildings that meet the future government and societal requirements for the next decade.

The NOW home will be followed by a THEN home (retrofitting an existing house) and a FUTURE home (demonstrating what might be common practice in 10 to 20 years).

BRANZ and the Housing and Health Group are developing a Healthy Housing Index, aiming to produce a single number that describes the relative healthiness and safety of our homes. This will let policy-makers, landlords, iwi and district health boards know the condition of their housing stock and target improvements.