BC Update: No. 46 - Department of Building and Housing consults on BCA fees and support package
The Department is seeking sector views on proposed accreditation fees and an assistance package for Territorial and Regional Authorities.
The Building Act 2004 mandates the introduction of a building consent authority (BCA) accreditation and registration scheme for territorial and regional authorities by November 2007.
The scheme aims to improve the performance of building consent and inspection processes in BCAs, the capability and capacity of BCAs, the quality of their work, ultimately giving homeowners and builders and designers greater confidence in the work of BCAs.
BCAs will need to meet certain standards and criteria to become accredited. International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ), a not-for-profit crown entity, will undertake the accreditation assessment process.
This week, Hon Clayton Cosgrove, the Minister of Building Issues, announced an assistance programme of $3 million over three years to help BCAs prepare for accreditation, both initial and staged requirements as they apply. The Minister explained that, in investigating ways of helping the sector, the Government determined that the best, speediest and most effective way of assisting is to provide targeted assistance for preparation. The programme will be funded from the Building Levy.
The Department is seeking sector views on the proposed accreditation fees and assistance package. The consultation: Proposals to set building consent authority accreditation fees and for assistance with accreditation [PDF 594 KB, 28 pages], closes on 20 November.
The Department would like to hear your views on how the assistance could best be targeted to the sector. The consultation also seeks your views on the proposed fees.
Specific questions about BCA fee proposals should be directed to one of the following BCA Project Team members at the Department:
Malcolm MacMillan
Manager Performance Monitoring & Review
malcolm.macmillan@dbh.govt.nz
Henry Dowler
Adviser BCA Accreditation & Registration
henry.dowler@dbh.govt.nz
Andrew Minturn
Adviser BCA Accreditation and Registration
andrew.minturn@dbh.govt.nz