Territorial authorities as regulatory partners and regulators of the building industry

The building regulatory framework in New Zealand, which controls the quality of building work, is mainly implemented by territorial authorities through their role as building consent authorities.⁸ Half of New Zealand's building regulation activity is undertaken by only 15 of the 74 territorial authorities, which is partially explained by shared arrangements between them.

The greatest volume of regulatory activity continues to take place in the Auckland region with six Auckland region territorial authorities among the top 15 by volume.

Implications for the Department

We will continue to help territorial authorities to:
- improve their performance as building consent authorities
- improve building quality
- address the consequences of weathertightness failure
- address the consequences of any other failures in building quality.

Sustainable development in the Building Act 2004

The new Building Act requires considering sustainable development and the effects of buildings on their users' health. Two important ways to achieve this are by conserving scarce resources and reducing waste products. These initiatives need government policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, use materials sensibly, use energy and water prudently, and use appropriate materials. 

The initiatives being advanced include the following.

• Govt³ Programme: This programme, established by the Ministry for the Environment, helps government agencies improve the sustainability of their social, economic and particularly environmental bottom-line performance. We are a signatory to the programme. Our commitment requires preparing an action plan that considers our ongoing practices for, at least, managing waste, cleaning, buying and using consumables, and printing.
• Urban Design Protocol: The Department is a signatory to the Urban Design Protocol (Ministry for the Environment, March 2005). The Protocol states: 'Becoming a signatory to the Urban Design Protocol... recognises [an organisation's] role in helping set an example for others in their sector... Signatories commit to putting the Urban Design Protocol into effect by developing, monitoring and reporting on a set of actions specific to their organisation...' We are participating in these and associated initiatives, such as the Sustainable Cities programme.
• Sustainability indicators: Using sustainability indicators encompassing economic, sociocultural and environmental factors is a common and effective means of setting targets and recording performance. The Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand, among others, use sustainability indicators to monitor performance against a range of factors. We are considering developing sustainability indicators for building and housing. This work is at an early stage, but will support our other commitments to sustainable development.

In promoting energy efficiency:

• the current Building Code sets standards for the amount of energy to be used for heating a house, and the energy efficiency of hot water heating and storage
• the current Building Code sets standards for building performance, but does not specify how to meet those standards
• the Acceptable Solutions documents published by the Department set out the means to comply with the current Building Code for consumers, designers and other building practitioners
• the review of the Building Code will examine all aspects of energy use and energy efficiency in the design of new buildings and renovation of existing ones
• the review of the Building Code will examine all aspects of energy efficiency in the design of new buildings and renovation of existing ones
• we have identified areas where changes to the Building Code and Acceptable Solutions could be made in the interim.

Implications for the Department

We will continue to work with the Ministry for the Environment and local government to contribute actively to the Government's work on Sustainable Cities and the Urban Design Protocol. These initiatives are part of the Sustainable Development for New Zealand Programme of Action.

A key component of this work is addressing issues around building design and construction that take a broader 'whole of lifecycle' perspective on resource use, including energy efficiency. This is all about creating buildings and homes that deliver a quality environment, that work well in the future and are consistent with sound use of resources and environmental values.

With the notion of sustainable development becoming more widely understood, buildings are increasingly likely to take account of environmental, social and economic values.

We will give priority to ensuring the Building Code addresses energy efficiency and sustainability to meet the principles contained in the Building Act.

 ⁸ The Building Act 2004 provides for building control services to be undertaken by private building consent authorities.