Page 9 - HW April 2022

Building product “survey” progresses
ON 31 MARCH the Commerce Commission released an Additional Paper with more detail about the
next steps for its market study into competition in the residential building supplies sector.
As well as continuing to look at competition across a broad range of building supplies, the Commission identified three key building product categories that it says it will “consider in more detail” to “assist us to more closely consider the factors affecting competition”:
• Concrete(includingcement) • Plasterboard
• Structuraltimber.
ComCom Chair Anna Rawlings says these three product categories were selected “primarily as a consequence
of the relatively high proportion
of the cost of residential building
that they represent compared with other supplies, the relatively high concentration of suppliers for these materials, and information gathered to date that suggests these supplies have
limited alternative suppliers.” Between now and July (when
the draft report is due for release), ComCom will “continue to engage with stakeholders towards identifying factors affecting competition”, and is seeking submissions “specifically relating
to regulatory barriers to entry or expansion in the supply of key building supplies” (due 13 May 2022 – email buildingsuppliesmarketstudy@comcom. govt.nz).
ComComwillalsoconductthree onlinesurveysofkeyresidentialbuilding suppliers, builders and specifiers, and a wider group of stakeholders.
And will host a hui in early May seeking te ao Māori perspectives in relation to the study’s focus areas.
The Commission’s draft report is due to be released in July, with the final report scheduled to be published on 6 December 2022.
www.comcom.govt.nz
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APRIL 2022 | NZHJ 7