Accreditation assistance package
The Department continues to help councils prepare for accreditation as building consent authorities, with nearly $2 million now spent from the Government's $3 million accreditation assistance package.
Case advisors have been working directly with councils to find out what specific help they need, focusing on those councils finding preparation for accreditation particularly challenging and offering training tailored to specific council or regional needs.
Sixty-one applications had been approved for assistance package funding at the beginning of August. They include:
- guidance and assistance in developing documentation
- on-site staff training
- testing employees' competence as part of reviewing councils' preparedness for accreditation
- how best to address corrective actions and supporting council sharing of resources.
After an initial round of 10 workshops in March/April, six workshops have been held in the past 2 months to help building consent authorities prepare for their on-site assessment by IANZ. Workshop topics included sharing what they have learned and tips on implementing systems and processes, and explaining self-auditing practices to enable any new practices to be implemented effectively and efficiently.
The initial network of 11 case advisors has been reduced to eight with experience in the specialist areas where councils have indicated they need support, particularly in terms of addressing corrective actions, preparing for assessments, auditing operations and implementing new procedures.
Councils have been very positive both about the Department's provision of case advisors as part of the accreditation assistance package, and the establishment of a Local Government New Zealand website 
where they can share information and material
The website hosts numerous examples of building consent authority-related policies and procedures. These are proving useful to councils still involved in document preparation, addressing corrective actions identified by IANZ, or simply interested in comparing alternative methods for continuing to improve and get better consistency in their building control functions.
Case advisors are encouraging councils to make accreditation-related resources and other information available to others through this website. It contains a document submission form to facilitate this.