18 Apr 2019
As well as changes to occupational regulation, MBIE is proposing a number of changes to building law. These cover the regulation of building products and methods; how risk and liability are managed; the building levy; and penalties for those who don’t comply with the law.
MBIE has summarised their proposed changes as follows:
Building products and methods
- clarify roles and responsibilities for building products and methods
- require manufacturers and suppliers to provide information about building products
- strengthen the framework for product certification
- make consenting easier for modern methods of construction.
Risk and liability
- require a guarantee and insurance product for residential new builds and significant alterations, and allow homeowners to actively opt out of it
- leave the liability settings for building consent authorities unchanged.
Building levy
- reduce the building levy from $2.01 including GST to $1.50 including GST (per $1,000)
- standardise the building levy threshold at $20,444 including GST
- allow MBIE to spend funds raised by the building levy on broader stewardship of the building sector.
Offences, penalties and public notification
- increase the maximum financial penalties
- set different maximum penalties for individuals and organisations
- extend the time enforcement agencies can lay a charge from six months to 12 months
- remove the requirement to publish key decisions in newspapers, information would still be published on publicly accessible websites and in the New Zealand Gazette.
Engineering New Zealand wants to hear your views on these building law proposals, to inform our submission to MBIE. Please email neil.miller@engineeringnz.org. Submissions to MBIE close on Sunday 16 June, so please get your views to us by Friday 31 May.
Find out about submitting your views on proposed changes to how engineers are regulated
