Building consent system performance monitoring

BCAs are responsible for:

• processing applications for building consents before buildings are constructed
• conducting inspections during construction, and
• processing Code Compliance Certificate (CCC) applications after construction is complete.

Delays in any of these procedures can create problems for builders and their clients, so BCAs have statutory obligations to process applications and carry out inspections within specified time periods.

Applicants also have responsibilities to provide accurate and relevant information so that the BCA can make well-informed decisions.

Types of data collected on the building consent system

These are the types of building consent system data MBIE gathers and publishes to monitor how well the system is working.

Building consent statutory timeframes

BCAs are required to process applications within 20 working days of being accepted. MBIE monitors BCA compliance with this requirement.

Timeframes for building consent processing and approval are a key indicator for building consent system performance. Delays in processing can have flow-on effects for builders and owners and limit the capacity of the industry to work as efficiently and quickly as possible.

Code Compliance Certificates (CCCs)

When building work required a building consent, BCAs must issue a CCC when it is finished, and they are satisfied it complies with the Building Code and the consent.

BCAs are required to process CCC applications within 20 working days of being accepted. MBIE monitors BCA compliance with this requirement.

Timeframes for CCC processing and approval are another key indicator for building consent system performance.

Delays in CCC approval can impact the building owner’s ability to put a new building on the market.

Requests for information and total elapsed time

Building consent and CCC applicants are required to provide the necessary documentation to support their application.

If their application needs more information, or important information is missing, a BCA can request it from the applicant within the initial 20 working days of receiving the application.

If a BCA makes a request for information (RFI) from the applicant, the 20-working-day period is put on hold until the BCA receives the requested information.

The number of working days the application is on hold while the applicant gathers and submits the requested information is referred to in the data MBIE collects as 'Request for Information (RFI) days'.

The combination of the statutory processing time and the RFI days – in other words the total number of working days for an application to be approved – is called the total elapsed time. MBIE monitors ‘RFI days’ and total elapsed times.

Inspection wait-times

At several stages of a building project, a BCA will inspect the work. BCAs are required to complete 80% of building inspections within 3 working days after the date the inspection is requested.

Delays to inspections can create problems and additional costs for building projects, so MBIE monitors BCA compliance with this requirement.

Access data collected on the building consent system

The data MBIE collects on the building consent system helps:

• understand whether the obligations and responsibilities are being carried out, and
• identify where improvement is needed.

The data is published every quarter as well as in an overall analysis after every financial year (July – June).

Building Consent System Performance Monitoring - Quarterly update – mbie.govt.nz

KPI Inspections Monitoring – Quarterly update – mbie.govt.nz