Fletcher Building is to boost the supply of GIB board from next month.
Photo: 123rf
Fletcher Building chief executive Ross Taylor says it has changed its local manufacturing configuration to produce more and is also importing board from Australia.
"We have advised our merchant customers that additional product will be available for them to distribute from July.
"This equates to an additional one million square metres of plasterboard in the market through the July to September period and a seven to eight percent increase of various types of plasterboard."
The extra supplies would be enough for about 2000 houses using 500 square metres each.
Taylor said its own Placemakers chain would set up GIB board pools to help builders in most need, and he expected other merchant suppliers to do the same.
"This will be done at a local level across the country, so this emergency supply pool is directed to those with the most pressing needs."
Fletcher Building chief executive Ross Taylor Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
He reiterated the company's position that the GIB shortage was a reflection of the record building boom, and the company would do "everything possible" across all its operations to alleviate the situation.
Fletchers' market dominance and poor planning has been blamed for the current shortage, and the company is meeting a social housing provider and a shareholders' group on Friday to discuss the supply problems.
A growing number of construction firms are moving to import plasterboard from Asia and elsewhere, and other have lobbied officials to cut red tape to let in in non-GIB board products.