CAP May 2021 meeting
Last updated: 7 July 2021
Summary and materials of the May 2021 meeting of the Code Advisory Panel (CAP).
Highlights
A meeting of the Code Advisory Panel was held on 5 May 2021 in Wellington. The following items were discussed as part this meeting. Further details are available in the meeting report.
Fire programme
The strategic focus of the fire programme includes:
- Continuing with urgent fixes to compliance pathways
- Supporting strategic priorities of facilitating higher density housing and Building for Climate Change
- Preparing for wider regulatory change.
Future Building Code updates will include several topics for consultation.
A list of topics in the current work programme is available on the Programme of Work page.
Digital reader pilot for the Building Code
MBIE are currently piloting tekReader for digital versions of the Building Code and includes the most widely used documents (B1, C/AS2, D1 and E2).
Read more about the digital reader pilot.
Implementing the Building for Climate Change Frameworks within the Building Code
The Building for Climate Change programme consulted on two emissions mitigation frameworks in 2020. Feedback from consultation has given a mandate to proceed with proposals, and valuable input to inform development of methodologies and regulatory options. The Building Code is the primary regulatory tool for setting performance requirements of buildings but is just one option to integrate the BfCC frameworks into the regulatory system. No decision has been made yet to do this and other options are being considered. The CAP provided advice on a number of issues that may cause building design or regulatory compliance challenges for the frameworks in the Building Code.
User centric approach to plumbing
Plumbing requirements in the Building Code are fragmented between various Building Code clauses, acceptable solutions and verification methods. This makes it challenging for the plumbing sector to ensure designs and installations comply with all relevant aspects of the Building Code.
MBIE have developed a Plumbing Strategy for developing the Building Code clauses and documents which support plumbing and drainage work. As part of the Plumbing Strategy, there are opportunities to improve consistency, clarity and certainty in these requirements and create a user centric approach to address the issues.