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Achieving by working with others

The Department is committed to working with others to achieve better building and housing outcomes.

Our work with the building and housing sector is an essential part of our activities and achievements. The sector includes:

  • building and construction companies
  • building and housing professionals such as architects, engineers, electricians builders and building trades
  • sector organisations
  • local government and Local Government New Zealand
  • building and home owners
  • others with an interest in building and housing and the performance of the sector such as the Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry for the Environment and Housing New Zealand Corporation.

We work alongside an industry reference group to gain insights into issues relating to licensed building practitioners, and work through industry advisory groups to develop the building practitioner licensing classes. This has enabled the Department to ensure the Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme is well-grounded, recognises appropriate competencies and supports professional behaviour within the sector.

Another key part of our work has been with local government. We have worked with local government on the progressive implementation of the Building Consent Authority Accreditation and Registration Scheme with a focus on lifting the capability and performance of local authorities' building control functions.

Offering 35,000 electrical workers the opportunity to comment on the proposed categories of electrical registration, under the Electricity Amendment Act 2006, allowed the Department to build a greater understanding of how the proposed categories would impact on the electrical sector.

The Department contributed to the following whole of government initiatives during the year.

  • The Steering Group established by the Ministry of Economic Development to oversee the development of the New Zealand Energy Strategy and the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy
  • The Deputy Secretaries Sustainability Group to support cross-agency responses to progress New Zealand's sustainability initiatives
  • The ongoing delivery of the consumer energy efficiency awareness programme, as lead agency in conjunction with Consumer New Zealand, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority and the Electricity Commission
  • Taking over hosting what was the Ministry for the Environment's SmarterHomes website, which is designed to provide consumers with practical information on how to make homes more sustainable
  • Initiatives by the Social Services Cluster (Ministry of Social Development, Housing New Zealand Corporation, and Department of Building and Housing) in the housing sector particularly focusing on improving access to appropriate housing for New Zealanders on low incomes
  • The United Nations Convention on Disability Rights, which the New Zealand Government has signed and is preparing to ratify.