Becoming a licensed builder will be much easier for New Zealand's more than 5000 qualified builders and trades people following a streamlining of the application process announced by Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today.

The Registered Master Builders House of the Year, in association with PlaceMakers, will celebrate its 20th year with a range of new initiatives in 2010.

A "masterpiece" of a new home in Auckland's eastern suburbs and an innovative aquatic centre in Queenstown have taken out the supreme awards at the Registered Master Builders 2009 House of the Year and RMB Commercial Project Awards, in association with PlaceMakers.

Hawke's Bay carpentry apprentice Nathan Biggs has been awarded top honours in the Registered Master Builders 2009 Apprentice of the Year competition, in association with Carters.

NorthTec hosted more than 70 guests at what is believed to be the first combined meeting of the Certified Builders Association of New Zealand, the Registered Master Builders Federation, the New Zealand Institute of Building and the Building and Construction Industry Training Association at its Fu

25 May 2009 - Pieter Burghout, Chief Executive of the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) will act as Chair of the Construction Industry Council for three to six months while a review of the Council's role and structure is completed and a new Chair can be elected.

18 August 2008 - National Party Housing spokesman Phil Heatley has welcomed the findings of a select committee inquiry into housing affordability, and says they're largely an endorsement of National's sensible approach to the issues confronting first-home buyers.

7 August 2008 - People doing home renovations should find the process easier with the launch of a new guide to resource consents and building consents, Environment Minister Trevor Mallard and Building and Construction Minister Shane Jones say.