Questions and answers on the product certification scheme
This page contains questions and answers for product assurance and certification (CodeMark).
They have been developed from direct feedback to the Department and also from questions raised at workshops involving building consent authorities, product manufacturers and suppliers, designers and other interested groups.
Please contact us if your query is not answered here.
What is the difference between product certification (CodeMark) and an appraisal?
Product certification (CodeMark) has legal status equivalent to a Compliance Document. All building consent authorities must accept certification as evidence of Building Code compliance, if the product is being used in accordance with the certificate and its instructions.
A product appraisal is a technical opinion and has no legal status. An appraisal can support a building consent application and assist a building consent authority to decide whether a product or construction method complies with the Building Code.
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If I already have a BRANZ product appraisal, why would I go for CodeMark?
CodeMark is unchallengeable and is the equivalent of an acceptable solution: building consent authorities must accept CodeMark certified products or systems as complying with the New Zealand Building Code. You might go the extra step and seek CodeMark if you are facing any problems or delays obtaining building consents, or as a marketing advantage.
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If I already have a product appraisal, what more time and money would it take to go for CodeMark certification?
A product appraisal forms the technical basis of your CodeMark application and would generally get you about three quarters of the way there. The cost for gaining CodeMark is a commercial arrangement between you and the product certification body. Generally, the better technical evidence you provide, the quicker a product certification body can make its certification decision.
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Does CodeMark certification eliminate council inspections?
No, councils (building consent authorities) will still need to carry out inspections. However, all they have to do with respect to CodeMark-certified building products or methods is to be satisfied that the conditions of the certificate are met for the relevant part of the building.
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I’m planning to import a building product that has been used extensively over many years in the US and is certified to their standards. Why isn’t that enough for the New Zealand authorities?
While you do have an evidence base for your product and some overseas testing, you still need to demonstrate is its fitness for purpose in New Zealand conditions. Our regulatory regime is performance-based and has some very specific requirements relating to our environment (eg relating to durability). Some of the overseas testing may be relevant, but this would need to be properly assessed along with manufacturing quality control etc. Overseas tests need to be on the same product you are importing (not on a similar one), appropriate for New Zealand conditions, and carried out at a recognised testing facility.
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What is good technical evidence?
Good technical evidence takes into account the needs of designers, builders, owners and building consent authorities. Key elements include a description/scope of use, test results and any independent assessments, design and installation instructions, product support and maintenance requirements. Go to the product assurance guide for more information on technical evidence.
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My product is manufactured overseas. Will the factory need to be visited as part of gaining CodeMark?
The question a product certification body will want to be certain of is: Can end users be assured every product is made to the same specifications and quality? The quality assurance systems a factory or plant has will determine whether there is a need for any onsite assessment.
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What if my product can be bought and installed by any home handyman, so I don’t control the installation of my product? Is there any value in going for CodeMark?
You can make sure the information and systems regarding product installation are appropriate for anyone using it, or the CodeMark certificate might specify certain installers. The CodeMark certificate can specify installation instructions, including who should install the product. This allows the homeowner to make good decisions in choosing your product and meeting those conditions especially regarding installation and maintenance.
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Who is JAS-ANZ and how is it involved in product certification?
A. JAS-ANZ (Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand) is responsible for assessing and accrediting product certification bodies, which are the organisations you need to go to if you want to apply for product certification (CodeMark). JAS-ANZ is a not-for-profit, fee-for-service organisation established by a treaty between the New Zealand and Australian governments. As well as assessing product certification bodies, JAS-ANZ also accredits more than 50 other conformity assessment bodies operating schemes providing management, product and personnel certification and inspection.
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How long is a CodeMark certificate valid for?
In New Zealand, product certificates are valid for an indefinite period but are subject to annual audits to ensure compliance. Audits also need to be carried out if there are any changes in the product or manufacturing method.
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What are my responsibilities once my building product or construction method is certified?
Certificate holders have a responsibility to ensure the certified product or construction method continues to be manufactured to the same standards, levels and quality as those against which it was assessed and certified. You must notify the product certification body if you are planning any changes to the product or the manufacturing process. You will also need to adhere to any ongoing auditing requirements required by the product certification body.
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Is product certification (CodeMark) compulsory?
No. Product certification is voluntary. The decision on whether to use it lies with individual building products and methods’ manufacturers, suppliers and importers. CodeMark certification is not the only way to provide the appropriate level of information to demonstrate Building Code compliance. However, it is likely to be effective for new and innovative products or those products with potentially significant consequences in the event of failure.
Other methods of demonstrating building code compliance include proven performance in use, or an appraisal from an independent organisation. However, such methods are fundamentally different from product certification because building consent authorities must consider them as part of the normal building consent process.
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How is the New Zealand CodeMark scheme aligned with that of Australia?
The trans-Tasman building products market is becoming increasingly integrated. Accordingly, the Department has worked closely with Australian building authorities to develop the scheme. In July 2005, the Department and the Australian Building Codes Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish and administer an aligned product certification scheme. From this has developed a harmonised scheme branded CodeMark on both sides of the Tasman. However, while product certification is closely aligned in the two countries, products will need to be certified separately for New Zealand and Australia because of differences in our respective building codes.
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Does an Australian CodeMark product have CodeMark here?
Not necessarily. The CodeMark scheme operates on both sides of the Tasman in a very similar fashion and has been developed jointly by New Zealand and Australian authorities. However, the two countries have different building codes (for example, durability and weather-tightness are issues here, while termite protection is a concern across the Tasman) so products still need to be certified separately for New Zealand and Australia.
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Will the CodeMark scheme increase building costs?
There is a cost to the proprietor of a product or method of construction for initially gaining and then maintaining certification (ie ongoing audit fees). However, this is unlikely to be significant in relation to the total cost of product manufacture and distribution. By providing a cost-effective method to ensure compliance with the Building Code, the scheme will contribute to holding or lowering building costs over the longer term.
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How are the costs of the CodeMark scheme met?
A. JAS-ANZ, the organisation that assesses and accredits the product certification bodies (who in turn assess and certify products for CodeMark, is a statutory, fee-funded, not-for-profit organisation. Its fees are collected directly from product certification bodies. These fees are set by regulations and reviewed regularly by the Department.
If you want to apply for product certification, you will have to approach – and pay a fee to – an accredited product certification body. These fees are a private arrangement between you and that body and are not covered by regulation. The fees will cover a proportion of the product certification body’s accreditation costs and the costs of evaluating your product or method for compliance.
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How can I check if a product is certified?
The Department is required to establish a public register of the names and contact details for all certified products.
Go to the product certificate register on this website for a list of all CodeMark certificates.
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What happens to product certificates issued under the previous scheme?
Subject to periodic assessment to confirm compliance, product certificates issued under the previous scheme run by the Building Industry Authority will remain valid.
Go to the product certificate register on this website for a list of these certificates.
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How is product liability affected by the CodeMark scheme?
The scheme is not intended to change the current liability framework for products used in building construction. However, building consent authorities will not be liable when they rely in good faith on a current product certificate.
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Why develop something called “product assurance” when there is now a product certification scheme?
The concept of product assurance came about because the Department, various building industry groups and building consent authorities became aware that quite a few product manufacturers and suppliers didn’t fully understand New Zealand’s performance-based building legislation. Because we have relatively few controls on the supply or importation of building products or systems, people were developing or bringing in some fairly innovative products. However, what they didn’t always appreciate was that there are strict requirements about how these products must perform as part of a building (as new building work has to go through the building consent process) and that quite a bit of technical information and evidence is generally needed to support that. We developed the product assurance framework to help people better understand the requirements of the Building Code and how it relates to building products or systems, and what their options are for proving compliance with that Code.
Product certification (CodeMark) is the ultimate in product assurance, as CodeMark products must be accepted as complying with the Building Code when used as specified. CodeMark is a voluntary scheme set up under the Building Act 2004: because of the extra time and cost involved in achieving CodeMark, it is best suited to a relatively small number of innovative, higher-risk products or where the manufacturer is after a marketing advantage.
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Are the building consent authorities aware of product assurance?
Yes: in fact, they helped develop the concept to provide more certainty around how New Zealand’s performance-based building legislation relates to building products and systems.
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