BuiltReady consultation closed

A consultation on the proposed changes to the BuiltReady programme has closed. It sought feedback on incorporating use of the BuiltReady brand for scheme participants and mandating use of the Ministry of Building, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) manufacturer’s certificate template for registered manufacturers 

Offsite construction, also known as prefabricated or modular construction, is on the rise in New Zealand due to its potential for improved sustainability, efficiency and productivity. BuiltReady is a voluntary certification scheme for modular component manufacturers (MCM), which enables them to be certified and registered to produce modular building components in order to establish compliance with the Building Code.

“Building consent authorities must accept a current manufacturer’s certificate as establishing compliance with the Building Code, so long as it is issued by a manufacturer certified and registered to design and manufacture,” states MBIE.

Under the scheme, the prefabricated construction process from design, manufacture, assembly, transportation and onsite installation of modular components will be assessed and certified.

According to MBIE, BuiltReady manufacturers “will benefit in most cases from reduced inspections and faster, more consistent building consent applications. This will aid in reducing costs, barriers and on-site building time”.

Important accreditation

Scheme certification bodies will be responsible for certifying manufacturers but, to make sure they are competent to perform this function, certification bodies must be accredited by the accreditation body and registered with MBIE before they can perform functions under the scheme.

Depending on how manufacturers meet specified certification requirements, they may be certified for:

• Manufacture only – manufacture modular building components to a Building Code-compliant design.
• Design and manufacture – manufacture modular building components to a Building Code-compliant design that the manufacturer has developed or adapted themselves.

Manufacturers must also be certified by Joint Accreditation Systems – Australia and New Zealand (JASANZ) and registered with MBIE before they can use the scheme’s compliance pathway.

• A certification body will evaluate a manufacturer’s policies, procedures and systems to ensure the design and/or manufacture of modular components complies with the Building Code. Requirements include:
• An appropriate quality plan and quality management system.
• Documented design and/or manufacturing processes.
• Employee and contractor systems, including competency and training requirements.
• Complaints and disputes processes.

Consultation topics

MBIE’s proposed amendments are designed to provide greater clarity and consistency for scheme participants around the use of the BuiltReady brand and the manufacturer’s certificate template.

The now-closed consultation asked for builders to submit their feedback on two issues. As BuiltReady is a brand developed by MBIE and designed to provide a visual identify for the scheme, one of the consultation proposals was that Schedule 1: Use of the BuiltReady brand is added to the scheme rules to clarify how the BuiltReady brand is used for marketing and advertising purposes.

MBIE has proposed that: “Scheme participants are not required to use the BuiltReady brand – however, if one of the scheme participants chooses to use the BuiltReady brand, they must follow the relevant scheme rules contained in Schedule 1.”

The BuiltReady scheme allows registered manufacturers to issue certificates to support building consent applications.

“So long as the certificate issued is for a component that is covered by the manufacturer’s scope of certification, this certificate establishes compliance with the Building Code,” states MBIE.

As part of the manufacturer’s certificates process, MBIE proposed that registered manufacturers use provided templates.