Penk ignores officials' advice on green building regulations

Penk ignores officials' advice on green building regulations
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk opted for a volunteer approach for green buildings. (Image: NZME)
Cécile Meier
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk ignored officials’ advice to proceed with planned regulations to slash buildings’ emissions and improve their energy efficiency. New rules mandating the industry to reduce waste, measure buildings' carbon emissions, and give appliances an energy efficiency rating, like fridges, were supposed to take effect next year. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) officials urged Penk to go ahead with the drafted changes to the building code, which they said wer...

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