Remote inspections touted as the new default

The Government is progressing with a requirement for Building Consent Authorities (BCAs) to use remote inspections as a default approach

The requirement is designed to make building a home quicker and cheaper, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. Data from Stats NZ shows it currently takes 569 days on average for a home to be built, which Penk says is far too long.

“Building anything in New Zealand is too expensive and takes too long. Building costs have increased by 41% since 2019,” said Penk.

“A constant frustration getting in the way of building is the cumbersome consenting system and building inspections which are carried out to ensure a build is compliant with the Building Code.”

Before any change becomes law, a public consultation is planned for September.

“The consultation will seek feedback on the costs, risks, and benefits of different potential approaches and will be a good opportunity for the sector to provide their views and concerns about using remote inspections,” said Suzannah Toulmin, Ministry of Building, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Manager Consenting and Practitioners Policy.

“We encourage industry to engage with the consultation process, including by sharing views on what support may be required to help practitioners and councils adapt to any changes.

“We will consider implementation issues in our advice to Government, and there will be further work to support the implementation of any options the Government decides to progress.”

Lower costs, reduced delays

Overall, remote inspections are intended to:

• Lower costs by removing the need for inspectors to travel to site.
• Reduce delays by enabling more inspections per day.
• Allow inspectors to work in other regions remotely to support areas with greater demand than their own.
• Create better paper trails.

Penk says this will provide more quality assurance for homeowners and reduce the amount of time wasted by increasing flexibility for inspectors and builders.

“Inspections are typically in-person, which can lead to long delays as builders are forced to wait sometimes for weeks for a spot to be available, which often means building work must stop in the meantime,” said Penk, who added that some councils are already using remote inspections.

“Remote inspections offer significant productivity gains that make it easier and cheaper to build. However, the use of remote inspections is currently inconsistent across the country, with some councils being reluctant to use it.”

There are two main approaches for the use of remote inspections:

• Real-time remote inspections conducted via live video stream, which allow the inspector to direct the on-site tradesperson in real-time.
• Evidence-based remote inspections, which involves capturing digital information on site to be assessed at a later stage.

Remote inspection guidance published

To help BCAs and builders prepare for more remote inspections, the Ministry of Building, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has produced a remote inspections guidance document.

In the document, MBIE recommends that BCAs “use their data on inspection failures to help determine which inspection and building types it could consider as lower risk options in the early stages of adopting remote inspections”.

Builders will need to consider the additional health and safety demands that remote inspections may place upon them, especially in a busy work environment, adds MBIE.

“Having a device in hand for recording an inspection, along with potentially noise-cancelling headphones to hear instructions from a remote inspector, presents additional hazards that must be actively managed by the builder on site at each stage of the inspection.”

A lack of a reliable internet connection and poor weather could also impact the quality of remote inspections, said MBIE.

“On site, the builder needs to ensure a strong internet connection for a smooth and continuous live stream. Good lighting is also essential for a clear visual feed.”