Key achievements in 2004/05
Key events and achievements for the Department during 2004/05 are mentioned throughout the report and include the following.
Establishment of the Department
The Department of Building and Housing was established in November 2004, following the housing sector review and the review of the Building Industry Authority, to address the government's objective to have a strengthened, more coherent government presence in the building and housing sector. The Department consolidates building and housing sector regulatory and dispute resolution functions into one agency and provides a comprehensive range of services to the building and housing sector, building and home owners, and tenants and landlords.
As a first step, the Ministry of Housing was renamed the Department of Building and Housing and building policy functions were transferred from the Ministry of Economic Development on 1 November. On 30 November the functions of the former Building Industry Authority were also added. Responsibility for work on minimum housing standards was transferred from Housing New Zealand Corporation. Work was also undertaken in 2004/05 to transition both the Weathertight Homes Resolution Service from the Department of Internal Affairs and the responsibility for administering the Retirement Villages Act 2003 from the Ministry of Social Development on 1 July 2005.
Given the breadth of the changes associated with its formation, the fact that all transitions have gone smoothly and the Department has been successful in managing and meeting stakeholder expectations throughout the year is a key achievement.
The establishment of the Department has provided opportunities to review the business systems, processes and approaches we use and to develop innovative solutions that better serve our stakeholders and business groups.
One example is the formation of a focused building and housing sector policy group within the Department. This group has responsibility for monitoring and reporting trends across the building and housing sector, evaluating effectiveness of regulatory and other sector initiatives and providing comprehensive advice on the government's regulation of the sector.
Another example of a change made in 2004/05 is streamlining the Department's 0800 call centre operations whereby the call centre previously supporting the Tenancy Services group now answers all of the Department's incoming 0800 calls.
A third example is bringing together into one unit Communications personnel from across the Department, which has allowed greater knowledge sharing and a more Department-wide approach to communications activity.
All of these initiatives have resulted in efficiency gains, improved capability and effectiveness and a more consistent level of service for stakeholders. We expect such improvement opportunities to continue to emerge as the Department moves into a period of consolidation.
Building Act 2004 implementation
The Ministry of Economic Development led the development of the Building Act 2004, passed in August 2004 prior to the Department's inception. The Act introduced major changes for New Zealand's building control system, improving control of and encouraging better practices in, design and construction to ensure buildings are built right first time. The new provisions in the Act have a staged commencement from 30 November 2004, when the Department took over responsibility for the administration of building legislation.
Associated with the Act's introduction, the Department began a comprehensive communication programme focused on assisting industry and the wider community to understand the changes. This included:
- developing a consumer guide to the building process, The Building Act and You, with 65,000 copies being distributed to territorial authorities, stakeholders and industry to coincide with the repeal of the 1991 Act on 31 March 2005
- developing a detailed guide to the new legislation for building officials, Building Officials' Guide to the Building Act 2004
- preparing a series of leaflets on different aspects of the legislation for different audiences
- preparing Compliance Documents, which provide information on how to meet the Building Code's requirements
- hosting, and partnering with industry groups, to run 36 workshops nationwide related to the new functions in the act, targeting the sector and building officials
- establishing a technical helpline in January to assist with technical queries that affected day-to-day building control operations.
The Department also led the development and promulgation of regulations associated with the building levy, building specification systems and building forms, and the development of a set of amendments to the Building Act 2004, which passed into law in April 2005. The amendments were necessary to provide clarity or address omissions in some provisions of the Act.
Launch of the ConsumerBuild website
Building a home is one of the biggest investment decisions New Zealanders can make during their lifetime. Therefore, the launch of the on 2 December 2004 was a significant achievement for the Department, and the former Building Industry Authority.
The website, the first of its kind for New Zealand consumers involved in building, provides consumers with independent and reliable information about the building process, as well as their rights, responsibilities and where to go if they have a problem.
ConsumerBuild provides consumers with the essential information they need for all stages of their building and renovation projects. Content includes navigating the consent process; dealing with builders and architects; options for managing a project; information on features and materials; maintenance tips; weathertightness and more.
The website was developed by the Building Industry Authority in partnership with Consumers' Institute, with input from other organisations including Standards New Zealand, Building Research (formerly BRANZ), and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to ensure the information provided is relevant to consumers and up to date.
Since being launched, ConsumerBuild has been visited around 50,000 times, and referenced in a number of media articles. The Department continues to actively support ConsumerBuild as the site earns a growing reputation for its usefulness and independence.
New Weathertightness requirements effective from 1 July 2005
During 2004/05, the Department continued a significant piece of work undertaken by the former Building Industry Authority that culminated in the development of the second edition of Acceptable Solution E2/AS1, also known as the Weathertightness Solution, which came into effect on 1 July 2005.
It is directly aimed at addressing lack of weathertightness in buildings and provides the technical answers for reducing the risk of this happening. It is based on international research and understanding, including the 4D principles of: Deflection, Drainage, Drying and Durability.
This new Acceptable Solution expands the number of cladding system types and provides extensive, robust details for walls, roofs, intersections and openings. It requires drained and ventilated cavities to be provided between cladding and wall framing in all but low-risk situations.
Introduction of Language Line at Tenancy Services Centre
A major focus in 2004/05 has been on improving the accessibility of services provided by Tenancy Services. During the year an agreement was entered into with the Office of Ethnic Affairs to introduce Language Line services at the Tenancy Services Centre. Language Line is a free service offering callers the ability to have an interpreter assist them while making a call and ensures our services are more accessible for people who have English as a second language. Interpreters are available for 37 languages.
Establishment of the Building Practitioners Board
The Department sees the establishment of the inaugural Building Practitioners Board in June 2005 as an important achievement. The Board members provide a strong mix of appropriate knowledge and expertise and have the confidence and recognition of the industry to carry out the Board's role effectively.
Once decisions are made on the detail of licensing classes, the role of the Board will be to approve the rules relating to licensed building practitioners