Fletcher Building chief Mark Adamson says the changes being made at New Zealand's largest listed entity mirror the corporate recovery at Formica Group.

Alice, the Waterview Connection's tunnel boring machine, is lined up at the mouth of her first Mt Roskill wall, ready to dig the country's biggest roading job.

The tradesman's best friend and guardian of the ute toolbox - his dog - is going the way of the wolf whistle on building sites.

Auckland's first special housing areas earmarked for fast-tracked residential developments could be announced this month.

Auckland's property boom and renovation programmes such as The Block NZ have prompted a rush of DIY, but experts warn buyers not to get in over their heads.

Building products giant Carter Holt Harvey is among companies battling a multimillion-dollar claim brought by the Ministry of Education over leaky schools.

Editorial: What exactly is the holdup in Christchurch? A year has passed since the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority drew up a plan for the rebuild of the city centre but nothing seems to be happening.

In what turned out to be a tale of two countries, Fletcher Building announced a lift in its annual net profit yesterday, with Australia's economic downturn detracting from a strong showing in New Zealand.

Australia has old-fashioned union arrangements and needs "a dose of Margaret Thatcher," says Mark Adamson, the British chief executive of Fletcher Building.

The 38m brick chimney at Victoria Park Market was considered a liability if Auckland was ever struck by a large earthquake.

Andrew Newman is remarkably relaxed about recent coverage in national media highlighting the risk to the central Hawkes Bay town of Waipawa if the dam his company is backing fails in an earthquake.

Vector's new technology could have far- reaching effects, reports Fran O'Sullivan.

Opus New Zealand managing director Peter Mathewson says the nation's infrastructure market is suppressed at present as construction and consulting companies wait for the Christchurch rebuild to start in earnest.

After five years of trying, the Hurunui Water Project has finally received resource consents for its $400m storage and irrigation scheme.

Travel choices and reliability are imperative, says a transport expert.

New Zealand's big infrastructure job is being funded by the state - but public-private partnerships (PPPs) have emerged on two big Auckland sites.

We talk to two key players driving action in the quake-damaged city

Long-term political focus is needed to drive our significant infrastructure investment, says Karen Silk.

Budgets are tight, but there are good opportunities for asset optimisation, says Beca managing director Don Lyon.

Large-scale projects at home and overseas keep the infrastructure division busy, writes Anne Gibson.

Law changes have big implications for the building industry, says Andrew Stevens.