The Prime Minister is expected to address the media shortly after 3.30pm.

The government is moving to streamline the building permit regime by replacing some municipal inspections with a self-certification scheme.

Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said the proposal was aimed at construction professionals with indemnity insurance working on low-risk projects.

This will allow skilled trade professionals, including plumbers, drainers and builders, to sign off their work without the need for council review.

The changes were expected to extend to large homebuilding businesses that build hundreds of homes a year in close proximity to each other.

“The building approval system aims to protect homeowners from defective building work by requiring the work to be inspected and approved by a Building Approval Authority,” Penk said.

“But the regime is inefficient and adds cost and time to the construction process, making it harder for Kiwis to realize their dreams of home ownership. Amid a housing shortage, it takes an average of 569 days for a house to be built and approved, which is too long to wait.”

Under current legislationBuilding permits are issued by a building permit authority, usually a local or regional council, but may also be a regional council or private organisation.

Penk said the new voluntary self-certification scheme would go through a robust consultation process consisting of two stages.

File image.
Photograph: RNZ/Nate McKinnon

“The first is that qualified construction professionals such as plumbers, drain lines and builders will be able to self-certify their work without the need for inspection for low-risk structures.

“This aligns them with electricians and gas fitters who can already do this, and that is something the industry has been looking for for years.

“The second key point is that businesses with a proven track record (for example, group home builders who build hundreds of nearly identical homes per year) will be able to go through a more streamlined approval process.

“Currently a simple one-storey house can undergo 10 or more separate inspections. This is clearly too much and the cost-benefit balance has been upset.”

Penk said construction professionals are already subject to quality assurances such as holding a license to practice, keeping records of their work and having their details available in a public database.

He said additional measures would be introduced, such as a clear path for customers to fix bad work, stricter qualification requirements for construction professionals and strict disciplinary measures for those who are careless or inadequately self-certified.

“We will take detailed policy decisions following extensive consultation in the new year, which will consider what role existing Building Approval Authorities should play in the self-certification scheme, for example through an inspection function.

“Kiwis need confidence in the safety and quality of their homes, but this can be done through more streamlined reassurance. We’re committed to removing bureaucratic complexity so more Kiwis can get the quality homes they deserve.”

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