Hon Gerry Brownlee
Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery

1 July 2013 Media Statement

Govt will propose solutions to consenting issue

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says International Accreditation New Zealand’s (IANZ’s) decision to withdraw accreditation for the Christchurch City Council to be a Building Consent Authority is unprecedented.

“Consenting is vitally important to maintaining the pace and confidence of the recovery,” Mr Brownlee says.

“In its letter to the Christchurch City Council IANZ says ‘IANZ does not have the necessary confidence that the Christchurch City Council BCA has been operating in accordance with the accreditation requirements since the September 2012 reassessment, nor that it is currently doing so.’

“We want to develop a longer term solution that ensures the Christchurch City Council delivers timely, quality consents, and that they are again IANZ accredited.

“I welcome the statements from the Christchurch City Council today that they see the relationship with the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the technical experts who have been supporting the consenting team as constructive, and that they hope to continue working with them.

“It’s important the Christchurch City Council realises how essential accredited consenting capacity is to the rebuild – they need to be part of the solution.

“Ministers will meet with the Christchurch City Council on Wednesday to propose a solution.

“We will be putting options on the table and seeking council agreement with a proposed course of action.

“Until that discussion is held I don’t want to speculate about other possible Government actions,” Mr Brownlee says.

ENDS

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