Government propose to let builders sign off own work

The door is ajar for letting builders sign off on the quality of their own work. Photo / iStock

The door is ajar for letting builders sign off on the quality of their own work.

The proposal is among recommendations released today by the Government's rules reduction taskforce, which was set up to look at the rules and regulations causing frustration for taxpayers.

The taskforce said self-certification should be encouraged for builders who meet set levels of qualification.

Local Government Minister Paula Bennett has indicated it was an area where current regulations might be excessive.

She has asked Building and Housing Minister Nick Smith to look at the proposal.

Dr Smith said he was open to the suggestion and had asked officials to look at the matter.

He said there was some work where self-certification would be appropriate, in exactly the same way as electricians sign off on their own work.

The taskforce report recommended a total of 10 fixes to current rules and regulations.

It wants the Government to make the building and resource consent processes easier, lift the skills of the building sector, cut consent fees, better define work safety, and make existing rules and regulations easier to understand.

The taskforce also wants the public sector to be more customer focused and use better engagement processes when developing polices and regulations.

It is also recommending reform of the Local Government and the Reserve Acts, but most importantly is calling for "loopy" rule making to be stopped.

The report suggested local councils had frequently, and unfairly, been blamed for the cost of building consents.

It said council fees were low and seemed to be a relatively small part of the problem. Instead, the finger of blame is being pointed at central Government and the fees it gets from building levies.

Auckland Council finance committee chairwoman Penny Webster said the Government needed to do more to make low-cost housing more affordable to build.

The cost of rules and restrictions was making it very expensive, she said.

Ms Webster said central Government imposed unnecessary costs on ratepayers across many areas of local government.