Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Covid-19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Builders are back in action under level 3

Maryana Garcia
By Maryana Garcia
Multimedia Journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
31 Aug, 2021 06:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

There are 49 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today - the lowest in six days. Six babies under the age of one have caught Covid-19 in the Delta outbreak, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said.

The building industry will be back on the tools under level 3 restrictions starting today but it is still a hard road ahead for the embattled industry.

Classic Builders director Peter Cooney said it would be good to get back in action.

"It's back to business for us for the construction side of things, with level 3 protocols."

Cooney said construction would be slower under level 3 because not as many people would be allowed on sites but he felt the mindset towards lockdown was more positive this time around.

"That lockdown wasn't so long was a bonus for us. We went into it a lot wiser, more prepared."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Cooney said the road ahead wasn't going to be easy.

"When things close down nothing gets built, nothing gets done, nothing gets paid.

"It's a perfect storm. We've had a shortage of land supply, housing costs going through the roof, shortage of supply and sub-trades. With Covid on top, it couldn't be worse.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Everyone has fallen behind. The only thing to do is get back to work."

Classic Builders director Peter Cooney. Photo / File
Classic Builders director Peter Cooney. Photo / File

Phil Macfarlane, from Rotorua's VIP Plumbing and Gas Fitting, said he and his team were ready to get to work.

Discover more

New Zealand

Rent crisis: People stuck in motels as investors sell out of fear

01 Aug 05:00 PM

Time to put 'nimbyism aside' and back new house builds

28 Aug 06:00 PM

'Devastating': How lockdown shattered hospitality's 'golden' run

30 Aug 06:00 PM

Live: Threedom! Dinner rush sees huge queues at takeaways

31 Aug 06:00 PM

"They're finding themselves a bit bored at home. So they're keen to get back into it, which is cool."

Macfarlane said while he and his colleagues had completed some emergency work under level 4 lockdown restrictions, things had been slow.

"It is obviously quite tough for us because getting supplies has been very hard. That's been quite tricky and time-consuming.

"Level 3 is going to be hard again and that's simply because of the protocol we have to adhere to from the safety side of things."

Macfarlane said he was doing a lot of work organising work for level 3.

"It takes a lot to understand what we can and can't do and what the boys have to do."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When looking to the future, Macfarlane was both optimistic and realistic.

"I hope it doesn't hurt the business in the long term. There's always something out there for us. In our industry, with the emergency repairs people need, we're fairly safe.

"But between now and Christmas, people won't be spending as much and that could hurt the business."

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard. Photo / File
Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard. Photo / File

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard said there was a lot of pressure on the building and construction industry.

"Building, in particular, is in demand because of the housing shortage. So there's an immense amount of pressure. It's hard getting builders, it's hard getting tradesmen and it's hard to get materials."

According to Stats NZ analysis, just over one in 10 working-age adults employed in the Bay of Plenty worked in the construction industry as their main job in the year to March.

Rotorua MP and National Party spokesman for small businesses Todd McClay said there were 294 businesses registered in Rotorua over the last six months who would not be eligible for the Government's support packages.

Rotorua MP and National Party spokesperson for small businesses Todd McClay. Photo / File
Rotorua MP and National Party spokesperson for small businesses Todd McClay. Photo / File

McClay said the number was based on results of an online search of the New Zealand Companies Register for businesses with addresses in Rotorua incorporated between February 17 and August 17, 2021.

"There are many examples of tradies and shopkeepers who face ongoing restrictions to trade while their bills continue to add up," McClay said in a press release on Monday. "Just because a business isn't trading doesn't mean they don't have to pay their rent, rates, insurance and other related costs.

"The Government should make sensible changes to the scheme so that new businesses established before the level 4 lockdown, who meet the criteria of a 30 per cent reduction in turnover, are eligible to apply for assistance from the start of the lockdown restrictions."

Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Live
Rotorua Daily Post

'Treat the threat as real': Kiwis wake to new mobile phone tsunami alert

Rotorua Daily Post

Mayor backs demand for urgent fix for corroding lake wall

Rotorua Daily Post

Man who wanted to hear Ardern's 'neck snap' says jail is 'terrifying'


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

'Treat the threat as real': Kiwis wake to new mobile phone tsunami alert
Live
Rotorua Daily Post

'Treat the threat as real': Kiwis wake to new mobile phone tsunami alert

Nema is warning that the tsunami advisory is likely to stay in place until midday.

30 Jul 07:33 PM
Mayor backs demand for urgent fix for corroding lake wall
Rotorua Daily Post

Mayor backs demand for urgent fix for corroding lake wall

30 Jul 06:54 PM
Man who wanted to hear Ardern's 'neck snap' says jail is 'terrifying'
Rotorua Daily Post

Man who wanted to hear Ardern's 'neck snap' says jail is 'terrifying'

30 Jul 06:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP