The Government is progressing with a requirement for Building Consent Authorities
(BCAs) to use remote inspections as a default approach by opening a consultation
on the matter
The move is designed to make building easier and cheaper, said Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk.
“Building anything in New Zealand is too expensive and takes too long,” said Penk. “Building
costs have increased by 41% since 2019. A constant frustration getting in the way of building is the cumbersome consenting system and building inspections, which are carried out to ensure a build is compliant with the Building Code.”
Penk said that remote inspections can help lower job costs by removing the need for inspectors to travel to site, reduce delays by enabling more inspections per day, allow inspectors to work in other regions remotely to support areas with greater demand, and create better paper trails – all of which, he added, will result in greater quality assurance for homeowners and less time wasted.
“Inspections are typically in-person, which can lead to long delays [...] which often means building work must stop in the meantime,” said Penk. “Remote inspections offer significant productivity gains that make it easier and cheaper to build. However, the use of remote inspections is currently inconsistent across the country, with some councils being reluctant to use it.”
Consultation Open
To progress the requirement to make remote inspections default, the
Government is running an open consultation until 5pm on 29 November. In the consultation, the Ministry of Building, Innovation and Employment is seeking feedback on:
• Requiring BCAs to use remote inspections as the default approach.
• Requiring BCAs to have the systems and capability to conduct remote inspections.
• Non-regulatory initiatives to lift inspection productivity.
• Creating a new offence to deter deceptive behaviour during a remote inspection and give building consent authorities more confidence to inspect remotely.
Impact on Landscapers
There are several projects that landscapers complete regularly that sometimes require BCA inspections, such as:
• Outdoor fireplaces or ovens
• Retaining walls
• Fences
• Decks
• Structures and bridges
In a previous issue, NZ Landscaper asked Morgan + Pollard managing director Adam Pollard how his company deals with the consenting process. He said that it can be a long-winded process – even for landscapers.
“Generally, the whole process is very time-consuming, especially as some interpretations can vary depending on the council you’re working with. That can result in some material or design changes, which we then work through with the client. However, we work closely with the council as much as possible to try to limit time spent on consents. For example, our architects will often call them up to check if they’re not sure if something requires one.”