Councils respond to three-day inspection rule

Councils say mandatory inspection timeframes won’t deliver quicker building progress without changes to builder booking behaviours – and that remote inspections are not a magic bullet 

The Government’s new requirement for building inspections to occur within three working days of the time requested in 80% of cases came into force on 22 August 2025. While it was first signalled by Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk in April, some councils say the regulatory change arrived with little formal notice and there was no consultation on the concept itself. 

According to MBIE, the decision to set inspection KPIs came from the submissions on the consultation called Improving efficiency in the inspection process. The summary of submissions document says: 

“Several BCAs proposed a key performance indicator (KPI) for inspection wait times as an alternative option [to default remote inspections] to incentivise BCAs to prioritise timely provision of inspections.  

“Submitters noted that inspection delays can affect overall build project costs and timelines. They highlighted that while the Building Act sets out a timeframe for processing building consents, it does not impose similar requirements for inspections.  

“They suggested a KPI for wait times would increase efficiency in the inspection process, reduce uncertainties for builders and support more predictable project timelines. Additionally, it would support business cases for BCAs to gain more resources to meet the required timeframes.” 

However, there was no standalone consultation held with councils on the concept of inspection targets and, according to Steffan Thomas, Head of Building Consenting at Christchurch City Council: “There were no questions in the submission form regarding KPI wait times.” 

Thomas added that Christchurch also didn’t propose any.  

Only Auckland proposed that inspection KPIs be considered. Fahrensohn said Auckland Council submitted in December 2024 and suggested that KPI targets could apply to all inspections, whether remote or on-site. 

Jeff Fahrensohn, Auckland Council’s Manager of Field Surveying, said Auckland City Council was one of the councils who did propose inspection KPIs be considered in its December 2024 submission, and that they could apply to all inspections, whether remote or on-site. 

However, they didn’t hear anything else until they were told on 20 August that the requirement would be gazetted just two days later. “We received notification from MBIE on Wednesday 20 August that the three-day inspection rule would be mandated into regulation on 22 August,” Fahrensohn said. “That gave us two days’ notice.” 

In Gisborne, Building Services Manager Ian Petty said the sector was warned about the change, but only informally. “We were just told it was coming and there was no consultation. It was communicated on a Wednesday that it was to be put into Regulations,” Petty said. 

Despite the short lead time, all three councils interviewed for this story said they were already tracking inspection wait times and had begun preparing for a performance requirement. 

Remote inspections not always faster 

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has pointed to remote inspections and risk-based management as tools to help councils meet the new three-day target. But in councils’ experience, that’s not a guarantee to speed things up. 

“We do conduct remote inspections as part of our overall inspection process,” said Thomas. “However, remote inspections do not equate to omitting any necessary inspections, they are just carried out in a different way.” 

Thomas said remote inspections fall into two categories: real-time (live streamed) and evidence-based (submitted photos and documents). Neither has led to a noticeable increase in inspection capacity.  

“Real-time remote inspections are scheduled for one hour just like on-site ones, but builders are often late to join, face technical issues and ask additional questions,” he said. “Evidence-based inspections take a little less time but increase office admin. Any overall time savings are minimal.” 

Fahrensohn agreed. “Remote inspections tend to take longer than a face-to-face inspection,” he said. “There is no real difference in inspector resource requirements.” 

Fahrensohn noted that remote inspections can be less efficient than on-site inspections, as they “tend to fragment the elements to be inspected into individual inspectable tasks”. 

“Many of these elements would be grouped together during an on-site inspection, which can be more efficient. As a remote inspection relies on input from the builder on site, the time taken will also be dependent on how efficiently the builder can capture the required site record,” he added. 

Booking behaviours under scrutiny 

In Auckland, inspection wait times are currently around five working days in some areas – but the council believes builders cancelling or double-booking appointments is part of the problem.  

“People are booking the same inspection on multiple days to cover the risk of a failed inspection, or they cancel because they are not ready in time,” Fahrensohn said. “These cancelled inspections result in a lot of bookings being available the following day.” 

He said targets should reflect the whole process: “It is important we provide metrics that highlight where the improvement opportunities are, and they are not always with the council.” 

Gisborne is currently meeting the new target, and Petty said they would continue to rely on in-person inspections while staffing levels allow. “A phone video link cannot replace two eyes and a personal conversation with the tradie on site,” he said. 

Fee changes and staffing pressure 

Thomas confirmed that some fees have been adjusted.  

“As of 1 July 2025, we reduced the cost slightly for evidence-based remote inspections. Live streamed inspections remain the same as on-site.” 

In Auckland, inspections are charged on a time-based, user-pay basis, so no fee changes are expected. However, all three councils said staffing remains a challenge. 

Auckland currently has about 100 inspectors doing 800 inspections per day. 

“We are in a slow period for construction activity at present,” Fahrensohn said. “But volumes will pick up. To manage this, we are looking at recruitment and improving the inspection booking tool.” 

Gisborne has five field inspectors and one additional staffer for territorial authority checks. Petty said they expect staffing numbers will stay the same. 

Thomas said the shortage of qualified candidates was a barrier to scaling up.  

“We currently have 24 inspectors and six contractors. The shortage of qualified candidates, combined with stringent qualification requirements, continues to pose a significant barrier to recruitment.”