MBIE releases new building consent guidance

The Ministry of Building, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has released new guidance and information to help builders and their customers understand the building consent process

In 2022, various reports on the building consent process highlighted common areas of confusion and misunderstanding. In an effort to address these, MBIE has released new guidance, designed to help builders and homeowners understand building consents and Code Compliance Certificates better.

“We recognise that there is a level of uncertainty in the building sector and from homeowners on the requirements and procedures for applying for a building consent and Code Compliance Certificate, and have created the guidance documents to help people understand how the process works and how to successfully navigate it,” says MBIE.

The guides cover:

• How to determine which building work requires a consent.
• The consent process.
• Common mistakes in the application process.
• The role of inspections.
• Code Compliance Certificates.

Among the documents is a step-by-step guide that shows the consent process from pre-application stage to when the Code Compliance Certificate is issued.

The step-by-step guide includes information on the design and pre-application, design development, building consent application and processing, request for further information, what happens when work begins on site and Code Compliance Certificate.

It provides detail such as “a building consent officer (BCO) is assigned to process the consent, checking that the building work as described in the plans and specifications complies with the performance requirements of the Building Code. The council also checks that there have been no changes since the project information memoranda was issued”.

There is also a guide that covers the process for new residential building work – which can also be applied to all building consent applications. MBIE also provides a standard ‘order of documents’ checklist to help ensure a consent application is well-organised and clearly set out.

“No legislative or regulatory changes have been made regarding the building consent process,” says MBIE. “This guidance has been created to ensure the current requirements of the building consent process are transparent and easy to follow for everyone involved in the building process.”

MBIE is also encouraging council and sector professionals to share the guidance with customers to help them understand the whole process before applying for consent. The guidance can be seen by going to the following page: https://www.building.govt.nz/projects-and-consents/apply-for-building-consent/.