Many in NZ think Cypress (macrocarpa/lusitanica) has only recently been extensively used in NZ building. Macrocarpa (mac) has actually been used from earliest days in NZ. Records suggest the early 1900s and was often used when renovating Kauri villas in the early 1920s to the 60s.
I recall an instance, several years ago, where a kauri home in central Auckland was getting renovated by an acquaintance of mine; the kauri framing was found to be riddled with a borer infestation. Further inspection found sections of the framing were not infected and found to be clear of borer. It was then realized that the timber not affected was mac, which had been used in a renovation project at the house in 1930 sometime. Illustrating the borer resistance properties of cypress timbers.
CCA and boric treated Radiata Pine first became available in the 1940s and by the end of the 60s had become the go to timber for most builders.
There always were the alternative builders/homeowners who liked to build chemical free and aesthetically pleasing homes, but they had become a real minority.
Building with Mac became even more difficult as the building industry became single minded in its focus on "manmade" verified manufactured products as opposed to natural products that have been used for 100s of years. Regulations such as stress grading and durability testing became even more onerous, especially for alternatives to treated pine products, in order to fit into “acceptable solutions” in NZ building code.
Tree and timber scientists have always advocated for the value of cypress mac as a
timber but their voice was increasingly drowned out by technical bureaucrats who prefer the simplicity of manufactured manmade standard products. Unfortunately, this was exacerbated by the supply of ungraded cypress timbers until the early 1990s when MacDirect started operation with the intention of grading to the NZ standard, which of course presents some challenges.
The building code is still, in our opinion, totally slanted towards artificial products taking very little account of the variability of natural products. The authorities seem to accept the failure of man-made products but seems hesitant to afford natural products the same consideration, when making decisions around standards. We have had to live with that. Most council building regulators and builders see the value of cypress but there are still some that have little understanding or willingness to accommodate the variability inherent in a natural product, even though failure rates of natural products like Mac and extremely rare... In fact in our history, we have recorded no failures, when we have graded timber to the traditional standards.
Having said all the above, we have seen the market continue to grow in all our products as the discerning homeowner pushes back. For some it is worth it to achieve a healthy, beautiful build. Others want the appearance, but all want the option to choose. Our aim is to continue to offer this choice and from time-to-time push back and remind the authorities that Mac has been used for generations in our country and should continue to be, for many more to come.
Murray Grant, Director & Founder of MacDirect
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