"We know that there are still too many jobs failing to measure up, mainly because builders have not paid attention to detail on some jobs.
"Speaking to other builders around the country, I'd say our fail rate in Wanganui is on a par with everyone else.
"But the important thing is to get that failure rate right down if builders were going to be allowed to sign off on their own work."
Mr O'Leary agreed with comments from the Master Builders NZ chief executive David Kelly that while self-regulation could work on smaller areas of a job, any major work should still be subjected to an independent inspection or peer review.
"The point is we've got to get it right," Mr O'Leary said.
Dr Smith 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 policies and regulations.
It is also suggested district 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.