Cost-effective quality: next generation building control in New Zealand — Building Act Review discussion document February 2010

Without compromising safety and quality, the Government is working on a number of ways to make it easier and cheaper for New Zealanders to build dependable-quality, cost-effective homes and buildings.

The misery that the weathertightness problem has caused for many New Zealand homeowners is an ongoing reminder of the need to ensure our buildings are of dependable quality. There will be no easing up on this – in fact, we are determined to continue to improve quality over time. Better building safety and quality is the focus of a series of initiatives collectively known as the Better Building Blueprint.

The response to the problems of the 1990s has made some parts of the system overly cumbersome and costly. Without cutting corners, we need to get rid of unnecessary red tape that adds cost without adding value. We also need to have everyone involved in building taking a fair share of responsibility for getting the job done right first time, and for fi xing any problems that may arise.

I instructed the Department of Building and Housing to review the Building Act because we need to strike a better balance between the amount of control, the level of risk, and the capability and responsibility of those involved.

We want competent building professionals and trades-people to be able to get on with building without unnecessary costs and delays. We want the amount of council oversight to be related to the risk and complexity of the building work and the skills of the people doing the work. And we want consumers to be confident that the people building their home will do the job well and stand behind their work.

We can only move in this direction if we can rely on the skills and competence of the building professionals and tradespeople doing the work. That’s where the Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme comes in, because it gives us a way of recognising the skilled people and holding them to account.

I want to thank the members of the sector reference group and others who have contributed their perspectives and ideas to the review of the Building Act to date. With their input, the Department has come up with the options for updating the building control system contained in this discussion document. These options fall into the following areas:

• moving to a more balanced building control system, where the consenting process reflects the risks and complexity of the building work and the skills of the people involved
• building consumer confi dence, by making sure consumers know what they can expect from building professionals and tradespeople and how to hold them to account
• clarifying the fundamentals – the purpose and principles of the Act and the requirements of the Building Code – so everyone involved knows what’s expected of them.

I expect this package of options to result in a rebalancing of responsibility towards building professionals and tradespeople who are making decisions about building work, away from an undue over-reliance on building consent authorities.

The Government now wants to test these ideas with New Zealanders. The public must be able to have confidence in the system, which is why I want their input into these proposals.

This is about reducing costs, not cutting corners.

Maurice Williamson
Minister for Building and Construction
February 2010