Last Friday
evening Forestry Minister Stuart Nash announced a timber
first strategy for government buildings - stating that “
Is the Minister
proposing that the new pedestrian / cycling bridge over
Auckland harbour will be built from timber?
The fact
is that his statement is simply not true and demonstrates
why politicians should not be choosing our building
materials.
The Minister is surely aware of the issues
of durability and fire that New Zealand’s Building Code
provides guidance on to ensure safety in our building design
and construction? Not to mention the timber strength and
dimensional stability issues that continue to be reported