NZ’s first private consenting company promises building consents in as little as two days
Wednesday, 28 May 2025
In what is being called a game changer for housing construction, New Zealand’s first private consenting company has launched, promising building consents in as little as two days.
Christchurch-based Building Consent Approvals Ltd (BCA) was last year accredited to process building consent applications, inspect buildings during construction, and issue building work certificates and notices to fix.
It has now received Government approval to issue consents nationwide.
To date, only territorial authorities and Kāinga Ora’s consenting agency, Consentium, have been allowed to issue building consents.
The chairperson of the new company, Tony Sewell, said the move is “a great step forward”, and will give builders a choice. They are now in talks with potential customers, he said.
Sewell said they will “get up and running” in Canterbury, then go nationwide, and will eventually have 300 staff.
The company will work only with group home builders, and with simple designs. It will have the same liability protection as councils.
“We are not interested in complicated architectural builds. We can do the simple stuff, and that will free up the councils for the more complex applications,” Sewell said.
“It’s the low-hanging fruit, and there’s a lot of it.
“We are offering people a 10-day consent, but if it’s a standard plan we can get out a consent in a couple of days.”
He said their service would be slightly cheaper than some councils’ and slightly dearer than others, and offer “same day or next day” inspections if the paperwork is in order.
Sewell, a former Property Council president and former chief executive of Ngāi Tahu Property, said getting registered with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) was “tough” and “gruelling” - and it had to be.
The company’s work will be audited every three months.
South Island Minister James Meager said the arrival of the private sector would help make building more affordable by saving New Zealanders building homes time and money.
Meager said BCA “would be put under the same scrutiny as councils are”.
He said the Government was happy to “drive a bit of competition in the consenting space”.
“Hopefully this is the first of many (registered providers) we can get across the line.”
The registration of a private consenting authority has come 21 years after the Building Act allowed for competition for an independent operator.
Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton said it would “relieve some of the pressure on busy councils” and allow them to concentrate more resources into complex applications.
“It’s a win-win.”
BCA’s directors are Sewell, building regulation adviser and consultant Ian McCauley, and Craig McCoy, former managing director of Christchurch accountancy firm McCoy and Co. It has several shareholders, all in Canterbury.
The company has been advertising for staff, including a building support office, a processing and inspections manager, and a client liaison manager, to be based in Christchurch.
Construction management consultant Mike Blackburn said BCA’s registration was “absolutely fabulous” and a “game changer“ for builders and home owners.
“There’s a lot of frustration among builders at the inconsistencies across councils, and even within the same council. Councils have been a mandated monopoly, so builders had no choice until now.”
Blackburn expected other companies would want to enter the business, “although MBIE has set the bar very high”.
Today Homes, which is building about 140 homes across greater Christchurch this year, is one of the companies to have held discussions with BCA.
“The reduced waiting times for consents will significantly improve the flow of our projects, allowing us to get homes out of the ground faster, and into the hands of our clients sooner,” Today Homes’ managing director Jon Sanders said.