“Local growers are fulfilling their contractual obligations with local sawmills and suppliers – many of which were written well before the Homebuilder boom – but instead of helping these businesses meet their huge increases in demand are preferring to ship their excess stock to overseas markets due entirely to the better profits they can make,” he says.
“So it becomes a more complex issue.” RNZ spoke to glass, tile, and heating and ventilation suppliers who were reporting similar delays. Master Plumbers Association chief executive Greg Wallace said the challenges were the result of a unique set of circumstances combining to create a perfect storm. “What happened is suppliers [when Covid-19 first emerged] predicted a downturn on the basis of all the banks and everyone else predicting a downturn and reduced some of their forward orders,” Wallace said. “Most of the plumbing items come from overseas and there s a lag of three to four months, so that s one issue.”
Covid 19 coronavirus: Shortage of plumbing, electrical and glass supplies
18 Jan, 2021 05:08 PM
3 minutes to read
Some plumbing supplies are taking up to four months to land in New Zealand. Photo / Warren Buckland, File
Some plumbing supplies are taking up to four months to land in New Zealand. Photo / Warren Buckland, File
RNZ
By: Nicholas Pointon
A shortage of building supplies is preventing the construction sector from delivering projects on time and within budget.
Plumbing, electrical and glass suppliers are reporting difficulties getting their hands on basic materials because supply lines had been stretched by the pandemic.
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Active Electrical Suppliers general manager Kevin Pollock said he had been finding it progressively harder to bring products in since the middle of last year.