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Maurice Williamson - Source: ONE News
A government initiative on building cheap and easily consented houses has been launched in Auckland.
An online guide, part of the government's Better Building Blueprint package, is now available and brings together information for designing a simple house, including compliance requirements and building standards.
"If you're building a very low risk building, very stock standard, tried and true, products known, and you're a well qualified builder, you should have to go through almost no red tape at all," says Housing and Building Minister Maurice Williamson.
Williamson marked the launch by turning the first sod on a property in South Auckland where a showcase example of a house designed by Stephen Smith from S3 Architects will be built.
Smith won last year's Starter Home Design competition in which contestants were challenged to design an innovative and affordable home with limited resources.
The guide can be downloaded from the Department of Building and Housing website or bought from bookstores.
