A mandatory target aimed at cutting delays in building inspections comes into effect today, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has confirmed.
“We know that standalone residential houses typically require around twelve building inspections during the building process,” Mr Penk said.
“Waiting for those inspections is one of the biggest frustrations for builders. Delays add significant time and cost to a project, especially when work must stop and resources or people need to be reallocated. Wait times for inspections can drag out for a week or more, with every lost day adding around $400 to the cost of a project.”
From today, new regulations require Building Consent Authorities (BCAs) to complete at least 80 per cent of building inspections within three working days of the date requested by the building owner.
“Unlike consent processing, until now there has been no requirement for inspections to be completed within a certain timeframe and the result has been unnecessary delays holding up projects, especially during times of high demand,” Mr Penk said.
Councils will be given some flexibility in how they meet the target. “Some may take a risk-based approach by prioritising high-risk or complex work, while others may make greater use of remote inspections,” the Minister noted.
To improve transparency, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) will publish quarterly wait time data for every council, beginning in the final quarter of 2025.
“Shining a light on the data will lift performance and give the public a clear view of how councils are tracking. The Government took the same approach with consent and code compliance processing times, and once those figures were reported publicly, delays dropped. Setting a clear timeframe for inspections will strongly encourage BCAs to cut inefficiencies and maintain delivery even as demand grows.”
The new target forms part of the Government’s wider programme of building sector reform, which aims to reduce red tape and speed up housing delivery.
“With the Government also moving to reduce regulatory burdens in the building consent system, I’m confident BCAs will have more capacity to meet this new target,” Mr Penk said.
“Key reforms include a voluntary self-certification scheme in development to let reputable building companies, plumbers and drainlayers sign off their own work. Homeowners will also be able to build a granny flat of up to 70 square metres without requiring a consent, making it easier to create additional living spaces. At the same time, we are rebalancing liability in the system so that cowboy builders, not councils and their ratepayers, are held accountable for the cost of shoddy work they’re responsible for. Together, these changes will ease pressure so councils can focus on efficiency. Today marks another step towards building better in New Zealand.”
Compliance with the new inspection targets will be monitored by International Accreditation New Zealand through biennial assessments.
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