Changes to Building Act aim to streamline changes on consents

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (left) and Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk during a visit to Easy Build in April. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Government has announced today it will introduce new regulations to the Building Act to make it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent.

Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said the Government is clarifying the definition of a “minor variation” and introducing “minor customisations” to the Building Act.

This would mean Kiwis won’t need to submit a new consent for minor product or design changes.

Penk said unclear and inflexible regulations added unnecessary time and delays to the build process.

“This will provide more flexibility, which will help reduce delays and lower the cost of building and renovating,” he said.

“[Currently] Kiwis who need to swap out comparable building products in the event of a shortage must submit a completely new building consent or wait until that specific product becomes available, adding delays and costs onto the build.”

Penk said building consent authorities would still need to assess building work to ensure it complies with the Building Code.

“The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can rebuild the economy and get Kiwis into homes faster,” he said.

Figures from Stats NZ show that it takes around 569 days on average for a home to be built after it receives a building consent.

“This means that, once you account for the time it takes to issue a consent, it takes nearly 600 days to build a house in New Zealand. In the face of a housing and cost of living crisis, this is simply too long,” Penk said.

Building consents issued for new homes in the 12 months to February 2024 were 36,276, down 25 per cent annually, according to Stats NZ.

“[These changes] will also help increase competition for building products and give effect to the Commerce Commission’s recommendation from its market study into residential building supplies to remove impediments to product substitution and variations,” Penk said.

Examples of possible changes to a building consent are:

• Replacing one brand of a product, such as plasterboard, with a comparable product from a different brand.
• Putting a window where a door was initially planned.
• A mirror image of a room’s layout to maximise sunlight or to work in with a specific landscape.