Builders elsewhere experiencing woes

You think that’s bad? In New Zealand, they’re dealing with lack of plasterboard. “It’s been materials in New Zealand, and it has been a massive problem,” Stephens said. “They literally ran out of plasterboard in the country. At one point, they were rationing it rather than giving them [builders] what they needed which meant virtually no one could finish the job. It caused severe problems.”

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Indeed, no less a figure than New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed dismay over the anemic supply of residential building supplies – particularly plasterboard – which led to formation of a Plasterboard Taskforce. Along the way, the stranglehold over the use of plasterboard for structural bracing was broken, business news site Interest reported.

The dearth of plasterboard gave rise to SaveBOARD, Interest reported, for the better part of the year. Its one factory in New Zealand has been cranking out some 500 boards each day from discarded coffee cups, milk cartons, commercial waste and other rubbish, the site reported, and plans to open its first Australian plant next month backed by a substantial government grant.

The environmentally conscious company has ambitious business plans, according to Interest, with a growing global interest from Asia to Israel. The firm sent a container of product to Chile, the site reported, and the goal now is to open one new plant each year. The company produces a plasterboard product that being seen as a potential solution to mitigate New Zealand’s reliance on branded plasterboard, Interest said.