Climate-safe house at show

New Zealand's first climate-safe house will be among the many attractions when the fourth Home and Living Show begins in Dunedin tomorrow.

The Otago Polytechnic is celebrating girl power at this year's two-day show, by using a building team which is mainly female, including female apprentices and tradies.

• Science behind better houses 

The project is a partnership between the polytechnic and Blueskin Resilient Communities Trust.

Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker has said that by using a mainly female team the polytechnic sought to encourage other women to enter the trades.

Scott Willis, of the trust, said the innovative house development showed that the Dunedin community was not simply going to wait for others, but was ready to make the first moves, and also to learn from any mistakes.

The wooden relocatable building was a 60sq m, one-bedroom eco-friendly home, to be set up elevated 3m above the mean high tide mark.

Assembly work would continue during the stadium show, before it was completed at the Waitati site, providing a home for a Blueskin resident.

Dunedin Venues marketing manager Kim Barnes said the attractions offered at the annual show - a joint venture between Allied Press and Dunedin Venues - had been "building each year".

DIY-ers were expected to pick up some good tips from special guests Peter "The Wolf" Wolfkamp, site foreman of The Block NZ, and Stan Scott, of Mitre 10.

Sisters Karena and Kasey Bird, former winners of MasterChef New Zealand, will give a cooking demonstration at 12.45pm tomorrow.

A Farm to Fork Chef Challenge first introduced last year would this year feature an extra chef, and a mystery home cook would also compete, on Sunday at 1.15pm, she said.