Rotorua builders wary of National's plans | Rotorua News | Local News in Rotorua

The new Licensed Builder Practitioner scheme is a step in the right direction, master builders say, but some Rotorua tradesmen are concerned with other proposals by National.

The scheme, which was rubber-stamped in Parliament this month, will go into effect in March next year and will require all builders to be trade qualified by 2015.

Minister of Building and Construction Maurice Williamson said on TV One's Breakfast show the proposed changes aimed to filter out unreliable builders from the industry. "The licensed builder practitioner regime will definitely weed out a lot of the cowboys," he said.

Master Builders Federation chief executive Warwick Quinn told The Daily Post he agreed it would remove people who should not be practising construction, but he believed more needed to be done.

"We believe there are still a number of details that need to be sorted out ... but on the whole it is a step in the right direction," he said.

National has also proposed that if it is still in office next year it would add provisions for builders to include financial and dispute information to prospective home buyers.

Local builder Roland Tissink of Tissink Builders is concerned about how much information the Government would require builders to disclose. "There are still a lot of gaps in the legislation. How much do they want us to disclose? ... I wouldn't have a problem as long as it is limited to relevant credible financial information," he said.

Mr Quinn said that depending on the level of information required it might be intrusive and misleading to the detriment of all parties, but the federation would reserve judgment until details of the changes were released.

With the requirements for builders to be trade qualified in accordance with the new regulations, Waiariki Institute of Technology expected its student numbers to grow, said Kevin Uncles, head of Trades School.

"It will increase enrolments. There are a number of builders who aren't licensed at present that may need our help.

"They would need to present their portfolio to us, and we would help them if they were missing anything. We will be offering catch-up courses to those that need it to meet them [the new standards]," he said.