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Despite a desire to employ local contractors on the Oaks on Neville project, the developers say they were forced to find workers from further afield.
Project manager Dave Stott says only a handful of companies from Warkworth were used during the build.
“A number of sub-contractors turned away the work because the job was too big for them, and we couldn’t source any local carpenters, plumbers or ventilation installers,” he says.
“We were keen to use people from around the area, but had to get a lot from across Auckland in the end.”
Dave says sourcing the required expertise was also a challenge.
“After the economic crash in the 1980s, the building industry lost a lot of highly skilled trades people and the industry has never fully recovered.”
Immigration NZ lists construction as an industry that is facing both immediate and long-term shortages.
