National pledges to take some building consents off councils

National says if re-elected it will eliminate the need for local councils to sign off certain building work.

Currently, local councils act as Building Consent Authorities (BCAs), deciding whether to issue a building consent or code compliance certificate.

Instead, National wants qualified engineers to be able to sign off certain building work without needing council inspection.

“For too long, building has been slower and more expensive than it needs to be,” National’s spokesperson for building and construction, Chris Penk said.

The party is also promising to designate a specialist Building Consent Authority, which would create one pathway for consents.

“We have already made changes to make building easier and more affordable, including allowing more overseas building products, speeding up inspections, improving liability rules and making earthquake-prone building rules more practical.

“National will keep that momentum going if re-elected, starting with commercial buildings, which make up around $9 billion of consented work each year.”

However, this would not take away the power for councils’ to grant consents, and developers could still choose to continue with their local BCA.

Producer statements - professional documents supporting a consent applications - are not formally recognised under the Building Act 2004.

The party wants to change this, ensuring councils must accept that producer statements from qualified experts mean that the work complies with the Building Code.

Penk said the Building Consent Authority would be focused on consents for large commercial buildings, generally over four storeys.

“This will provide major projects with a single clear, nationally consistent pathway with the right specialist expertise.”

The dedicated commercial BCA will be modeled off the building consent service for supermarket developments announced last year.

Penk said a preferred provider would be selected following a closed competitive sourcing process.

He said the model will free up councils to focus more on standard and residential consents for building or renovating homes.

“For retailers, developers, and businesses, it means less time stuck in consenting and more certainty to invest, expand and create jobs. For families and communities, it means new shops, workplaces, and local amenities can be built sooner and at lower cost.”

Penk said streamlining commercial building consents would help get major projects moving faster, reduce unnecessary costs, support more jobs, and create more opportunities for New Zealanders.