Building Regulation Review
The government has announced a “commitment to increasing housing supply by reducing barriers, improving competition in the building system and lowering costs.”
This commitment involves a range of changes to the Building Act at each level of the building system including standards, certification schemes and compliance pathways. These changes are targeted to “deliver benefits for Kiwis, including improving competition and lowering the cost of building while ensuring our homes and buildings are safe and durable.”
Specifically this means:
· overseas suppliers will have more confidence that their products will be recognised for use in Aotearoa/New Zealand without requiring additional tests
· manufacturers and suppliers will be able to reference recognised standards and certification schemes when making claims under the Building Product Information Requirements
· owners, designers and builders will have more confidence when specifying or using unfamiliar building products
· Aotearoa/New Zealand suppliers may choose to test their products against widely accepted overseas standards, facilitating easier access to overseas markets.
From a quick look, the proposals do not appear to impact timber greatly although there is the prospect that imported timber could be more readily used in the local building sector but that may depend on what is meant by referencing standards and certification schemes. We have every confidence that New Zealand sawmillers will be able to compete with any imported timber provided the necessary quality standards are adhered to and independently verified.
The Federation intends to be deeply involved in any discussions and consultations that take place on these subjects. MBIE has stated that it is planning to consider options to change the Building Act in order to;
· make it easier to use products from recognised overseas locations
· streamline the recognition of international standards
· mandate acceptance of certain overseas building products
· remove barriers for making minor changes to an existing building consent
· enable minor customisation of pre-approved MultiProof designs when applying for a building consent.
On behalf of members and the wider New Zealand timber industry the Federation will be looking to liaise closely with MBIE as their thoughts develop. We will be looking to ensure that any changes do not adversely impact the New Zealand timber industry and the wider construction sector in terms of building quality and the reputation of timber as a building material.
