16 December 2019

National will deliver stability to the construction sector, making it more resilient to peaks and troughs, Building and Construction spokesperson Andrew Bayly says.

“Developers and builders face continual problems with consenting and a lack of site inspectors. Many councils are slow to process consents and issue codes of compliance.

“The rising cost of consents and delays associated with getting inspectors on site are major problems. National wants to standardise the consent process across all councils.

“National will reduce the time it takes to issue certification. One solution we are looking at is allowing approved third-party operators to prepare building consent applications, and significantly limiting the time for those consents to be processed.

“National is interested in whether the processing of more complicated building consents should be handled by specialist regional consenting organisations, removing the requirement that every council has access to these skills in-house.

“To reduce the risk being taken on by building and construction firms, National wants government procurement processes to adhere to Construction Contracts
NZS 3910:2013 and 3915:2005 as a basis for contract negotiations, and ensure risk is allocated fairly.

National is also considering:

• A building warranty scheme that covers structural defects
• Updating the Building Act to reflect modern building practices
• Further refining retention arrangements to better protect sub-contractors

“National will support a strong and stable building and constructions sector.”

Our Discussion Documents can be found HERE

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