Building Act designed for consumer protection

A response to the reaction of building certifiers

9 September 2004

The new Building Act was designed for consumer protection from shonky building practices, says Associate Commerce Minister John Tamihere.

As Minister responsible for the soon to be formed Department of Building and Housing, Mr Tamihere said the new Act followed rigorous investigation of the building certification process.

"The legislation is all about protecting Kiwis in the purchase and building of their family homes, which is probably the most important investment any of us will ever make," he said.

"We're backing the consumer because we must ensure that their home investment is protected.

"We have demonstrated with the decision to deregister Approved Building Certifiers that we will no longer tolerate substandard."

Mr Tamihere said the legislation introduced a range of measures to make sure buildings were built right from the outset, and put in place better checks and balances on the industry.

Councils have responsibility for a range of regulatory processes in construction. This includes certifying subdivisions and provision of Resource Management Act consents through to the issuing of code compliant certificates at the end of a job. This was to ensure the final product was satisfactory to everyone, especially the owner.

"I know councils will step up to the mark," Mr Tamihere said.

"This Act would not have come about if standards had not degraded and quality assurance had gone out the back door."

ENDS

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