Building Smarter in 2026: Tips, risks and what reforms mean

Building inspections are changing. Technology is improving, remote inspections are becoming more common, construction products and systems are becoming more complex and the regulatory environment is shifting toward greater accountability for everyone involved in building work. In this article, BCA expert Jeff Fahrensohn from Fahrensohn Building Consultants breaks down how builders can operate smarter and more efficiently

For builders, there is an important message in all of this; a successful inspection isn’t just about getting a pass on the day. It’s increasingly becoming more important that builders collect evidence of what the work looked like before it disappeared behind the next layer of construction.

And with some of the biggest changes to New Zealand’s building system in years either already occurring or progressing through Parliament, good records will become a hugely important factor for protecting the builders.

What the inspector is actually looking for

A building inspection isn’t intended to be the builder’s quality assurance (QA) system. More councils are starting to push back on being the snag list compiler for builders and it’s becoming more common to have inspectors pull the pin on an inspection when the work is clearly not ready to be inspected. That is an expensive way of doing quality assurance.

An inspection failure means another booking, another delay, another trip to site, subcontractors being held up and potentially the programme moving backwards.

Before booking, check the obvious things yourself. Better still, develop simple quality assurance checks around the construction activities that repeatedly cause problems in your business. If your team frequently misses particular fixings, flashing details or penetrations, don’t simply accept that as something the council inspector will find. For those looking for easy to use QA software, I’d recommend giving the BRANZ Artisan tool a go. It’s free and creates an accurate defensible record of your work as you construct and the bonus, it can be used by councils as a remote inspection tool as well.

The inspector’s role is to determine whether there are reasonable grounds to be satisfied that the work complies with the building consent. Good inspectors increasingly take a risk-based approach, where the main risk factors like structure, weathertightness, waterproofing and fire safety are inspected closer, while less risky areas are generally sampled less. They only have a short period of time to do the inspection and so spend the most time on the higher risk elements. So before calling for an inspection, ask yourself the same question a good inspector should be asking: ‘where is the risk on this job?’ Then do your own inspection. It sounds obvious, but one of the easiest ways to improve inspection outcomes is simply to walk the work before the inspector arrives.

Take photographs (useful ones). Almost every builder now has a high-quality camera sitting in their pocket. Use it.

However, 300 random photographs aren’t necessarily good evidence. A close-up photograph showing four perfectly installed fixings isn’t particularly useful five years later if nobody can establish where those fixings were located. Think about your photographs as an evidence trail. A simple technique is ‘location then detail’.

This is particularly valuable for work that will shortly be concealed. Think membrane substrates, wet area membranes, structural connections, reinforcing, fixings, flashings, cavity details, fire stopping and services inside walls.

Minor Variations

Product substitutions is a common occurrence that minor variations (MV) can deal with. However, there is increasing confusion about what constitutes an MV and when does it change to a full amendment. There are some basic rules you can use to guide your decisions:

1. Does the change affect something that other council departments may need to approve? For example, development engineers may need to approve moving a stormwater detention tank or planners would need to check any changes to the building footprint. If others need to approve it, chances are it can’t be done as a simple minor variation. Some councils may have a system to fast track these sorts of changes but the best solution is to provide any change proposals to the inspector as early as possible.
2. Will the inspector have time to assess the MV? An inspector has limited time and sometimes you may need to choose between the inspection or the MV. One good tip is to book a second inspection specifically for the MV to be assessed. That way, you know the inspector will have the time.
3. And finally, when you present documentation for a change, make sure you have the appropriate technical documents that show how the product complies and not just the sales brochure.

Remote inspections are useful. Prepare for them

Remote inspection technology is now a growing part of the inspection regime and can provide benefits if done right. But pointing a phone vaguely around a building isn’t a remote inspection methodology.

Prepare the same way you would for an inspector physically arriving on site. Have the consent documents available. Know what needs to be inspected. Make sure the work is accessible. Have measuring equipment available where required. Make sure lighting and connectivity are adequate. Use headphones so you can clearly hear instructions. The important question remains the same whether the inspector is standing beside you or 500km away – does the work match the consented plans and specifications?

Liability is changing and this matters to builders

One of the most significant proposed changes is the proposed move from New Zealand’s current joint and several liability system to proportionate liability for defective building work.

Under the Building Amendment Bill, where multiple parties contribute to defective building project work, liability would generally be allocated according to each party’s contribution to the loss. For builders, subcontractors, designers and BCAs, that makes evidence enormously important.

Imagine a weathertightness failure eight years after you completed a project and all the questions that will arise.

Was it your work? Was it the subcontractor’s work? Was the specified product installed? Was there a substitution? Did another trade subsequently alter your work? Who should carry what proportion of responsibility?

Eight years later, memories aren’t particularly reliable. Photographs, QA records, product information and contemporaneous site records are.

Build the evidence while you build the building. This is where QA can kill two birds with one stone. A good builder QA system shouldn’t exist purely to satisfy council; it should protect your own business. You don’t need to photograph every nail. Focus on risk and traceability.

Home warranties are another change to watch

The Bill also proposes mandatory home warranties for qualifying residential construction. The proposed minimum protection includes at least one year for defective building work and 10 years for structural defects.

Builders who already have access to a recognised warranty scheme may find the transition relatively straightforward. However, if you’re an independent builder and don’t have access to these schemes, the proposed system allows for registered warranty providers, so independent schemes or products can potentially provide another pathway. You should be preparing for this now.

Start asking these questions early:

• What warranty products will be available?
• What eligibility criteria will apply?
• What QA information will providers expect?
• Will previous claims history affect your premium or eligibility?

Greater accountability for LBPs

The regulatory direction is clearly moving toward stronger accountability for LBPs. Separate occupational licensing reforms are intended to strengthen the disciplinary system for LBPs, including greater powers for the Registrar in managing complaints and greater transparency around suspensions and cancellations. The LBP Code of Ethics is also being reviewed and refined.

The political direction is fairly clear. Greater professional freedom will increasingly be accompanied by greater professional accountability. That is particularly relevant as the system moves toward self-certification and reduced regulatory oversight for some lower-risk work. For competent builders, this should not necessarily be seen as a negative. In fact, I welcome giving good builders more freedom. Ironically, in my experience, they are the ones who usually want the inspectors to turn up.

BCAs are changing too

The reforms aren’t just aimed at builders. The Bill would make it a lot easier for councils to share their BCA functions. For builders working across several council boundaries, the potential benefits are significant. There is an opportunity for greater consistency in how applications are processed and how inspections are undertaken. Done well, BCA consolidation should mean greater consistency and less variation for builders working across different council areas.

Private BCAs are already here

Another interesting development is the emergence of private-sector BCAs.

This isn’t theoretical. New Zealand now has private standalone BCAs operating alongside councils and, as this increases, builders will have a greater choice and different models for delivering their consenting services. Competition may also encourage innovation, digital services and different approaches to inspection delivery. But private doesn’t mean easier compliance. The Building Code doesn’t change depending on who is doing the inspection.

In summary

The building system is gradually moving away from an assumption that the council inspector is the person who will discover every problem and toward a system where builders take greater responsibility for demonstrating the quality and compliance of their own work. That means good builders should start developing those habits now.

Don’t wait for the inspector to do your quality assurance. Check your work. Photograph critical details before they’re concealed. Keep good subcontractor records.

Build the evidence while you build the building. It will help you get through inspections today. It will improve your quality assurance.

And under the building system that is emerging, one day that evidence may also help protect your licence, your reputation and your business.