We are proposing major changes to New Zealand’s building laws to improve the quality of building work. These are the most significant reforms since the current Building Act was introduced in 2004.

The current building consent system was established by the Building Act 1991 and has since been strengthened under the Building Act 2004. It functions as a critical component of the building regulatory system to ensure that building work is designed and carried out according to the Building Code.

The Government has announced today how it will work to improve competition for key building products in Aotearoa New Zealand.

All building work in New Zealand must meet certain requirements to achieve safe, healthy, durable homes and buildings. These requirements support our goal to grow New Zealand for all.

This evaluation was designed to better understand how well the current system is aligned with its intended objectives and to explore the underlying causes of issues with its efficiency, predictability and effectiveness.

The building consent system comprises the people, processes and regulatory environment that together provide assurance that building design and construction work complies with the requirements of the New Zealand Building Code.

The building consent system has long been faced with complaints of inefficient, inconsistent and ineffective decisions and processes. These typically involve frustrations with delays and inconsistencies and result in finger-pointing about poor-quality work and decision making.

This evaluation focused on two key evaluation questions, with a range of sub-questions:

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) asked for feedback on its review of the building consent system in 2022. This consultation closed on 4 September 2022.

On Thursday 8 August 2024, the Building (Earthquake-prone Building Deadlines and Other Matters) Amendment Bill to extend the deadline for the remediation of earthquake-prone buildings had its first reading in the House.