National backs turnaround

Making chemically treated timber compulsory is the right move, says National MP Wayne Mapp.

The proposed change is among new rules set out in a draft standard for the building industry, issued yesterday in response to the leaky homes crisis.

The draft says that all timber frames in houses should be chemically treated to protect them from rot. That includes external and internal framing, which does not usually get wet but was apparently included to avoid confusion on building sites.

Although the draft can be changed after public consultation, opponents and supporters expect it to stay.

It effectively scraps a 1996 rule change allowing widespread use of untreated timber in houses.

Dr Mapp said evidence from the Forest Research Industry to a parliamentary committee was compelling.

"The draft determination by Standards New Zealand recommending treated timber be used in all new houses is the right outcome," he said.

But Building Industry Federation chairman Richard Carver warned that the move would drive up new house prices, devalue homes built in the past seven years and endanger New Zealand timber exports worth millions of dollars.

- NZPA