BC Update: No.66 - Palmerston North first council accredited as a building consent authority
25 July 2007: Palmerston North City Council celebrated being the first local authority to be accredited as a building consent authority with a function on 23 July at which Building and Construction Minister Hon Clayton Cosgrove presented the council with an accreditation certificate.
Building and Construction Minister Hon Clayton Cosgrove presents
Palmerston North City Council Development Services Manager
Shayne Harris with the council’s certificate of accreditation as a
building consent authority.
Mr Cosgrove congratulated the council, saying that its accreditation was a major milestone in building sector reforms designed to lift local government building control standards and performance, in the wake of problems such as leaky buildings.
“Councils are the consumer’s last line of defence for ensuring that our homes and other buildings have been built right the first time,” Mr Cosgrove said. “The accreditation of building consent authorities will mean that councils around the whole country will lift their game and ultimately deliver a better service to people needing building consents.”
All councils are required to be accredited and registered as building consent authorities in order to undertake building consent processing and inspection functions.
The Palmerston North City Council was the first to apply for accreditation, with the on-site assessment by International Accreditation New Zealand identifying only seven minor corrective actions. These were quickly addressed.
Mr Cosgrove said the council’s accreditation reflected its commitment to, and investment in, the task over the past two years.
“The council has boosted its building controls staff numbers by eight, from 12 to 20, and has put these staff through training programmes so they are well equipped to meet the new, high quality inspections and processing standards,” he said. “The council has also upgraded its information technology, with field staff now using electronic tablets to input data into the database. These investments will directly benefit people who apply for building consents.
“You have invested in your people and your systems, and the hard work has paid off,” he told the accreditation ceremony.
However, Mr Cosgrove conceded that some councils were finding it a challenge to meet accreditation requirements. The Government has provided a $3 million accreditation assistance package to help councils achieve accreditation, including making case advisors available to provide guidance and assistance to help them improve their systems and make funding applications.
Mr Cosgrove said the Building Act reforms aim to ensure buildings are designed, built and inspected right the first time.
“Collectively, these reforms will strengthen and improve the performance of the building sector. They will enhance public confidence in our homes and buildings by improving the quality of buildings and building work.”
Mr Cosgrove also praised the Palmerston North City Council and the Manawatu District Council for entering an arrangement for the city council to undertake building control functions on behalf of the district council.
“I commend and congratulate both councils for working together like this, using one of the options for accreditation available under the Building Act. They will now use the same top-notch, accredited building control services to efficiently process building consent applications to a high standard.”
Palmerston North MP Steve Maharey said he was extremely proud of the council being the first to be accredited.
“It has shown that the people of Palmerston North can have the highest confidence in the city’s building control processes and building inspections,” he said.
“Building a home is about the biggest investment most people make in their lives, so they need assurance that it’ll be built right first time. Our council has shown that its systems and processes will ensure that happens from a building controls perspective. Other Building Act reforms, such as the licensing of building practitioners, will ensure that it happens in terms of actual construction and design.
“Similarly, people investing in commercial building in Palmerston North can be confident that council building control officers are completely on the ball in terms of those building activities.”
IANZ chairman Robin Pratt told the ceremony that the council’s building controls department had been through a rigorous assessment process with experts in accreditation in building control systems, and in building design and construction.
“Our assessment team critically assessed the council’s processes and procedures as well as the competency of its staff and facilities,” he said. “Inevitably, in first assessments such as this, some minor gaps in the council’s processes were identified, but the council addressed these issues with enthusiasm and efficiency.
“Being the first to achieve accreditation is just reward for the tremendous amount of work they have put in.”