Auckland building inspectors in hot demand

Auckland Council is looking for qualified building inspectors at the height of a building boom. Photo / 123RF

Auckland Council says it urgently needs dozens of new qualified building inspectors.

The Council is feeling the strain of the building boom and is at risk of being snowed under by the soaring number of new buildings under construction.

Manager of Building Inspections Jeff Fahrenson is hoping a new Diploma in Building Surveying programme will help fill this gap.

"There has been a 15 per cent rise on inspection numbers required last year, and another 14 per cent rise predicted this year, so you can image in just that two-year period we are going to be out-numbered," Fahrenson said.

He said he is also looking for ex-builders or designers looking to do something different.

The Council would need at least 20 inspectors this year to keep up with growth, however, Fahrenson said realistically they would need more.

"We're in the same boat as the rest of the building industry, we're struggling to find good people out there," he said.

Despite a shortage of staff, he said inspection delays had not been a problem so far.

"Over the last six months there have been periods where we have gone more than a few days, but it is generally short-lived as we move resources around the city to wherever we have those hot-spots or bubbles."

A high turnover of staff and a booming construction industry has contributed to the shortage.

Thirty qualified building inspectors are required by next year.

- with additional reporting from Newstalk ZB.