Our risk response
The Department is committed to identifying, monitoring and responding appropriately to risks to our business at all levels. We aim to prevent, minimise or mitigate risks as appropriate.
Identifying and managing risk is incorporated into the Department's business planning and management practices and is part of day-to-day business.
At the strategic level, we seek to identify risks that have the potential to impact on achieving our outcomes. At the operational level, our business group plans identify risks that have the potential to impact on the delivery of our services.
The Department's risk management processes are still being developed. Over the coming year we will align our risk management identification, monitoring and review process with our internal audit work programme.
The following table highlights a number of risks to achieving our outcomes. Our consideration of these risks has informed the development of our strategies and capability development initiatives.
| Issue/Risk |
Response |
|
Building sector capacity and capability
There is a risk that the building sector and local authorities do not have the ability or will to implement the changes brought about by the Building Act 2004
|
Working better with the sector
Information will be gathered from the sector through surveys and relationship management processes to understand the needs of the sector and the barriers to implementation of the Building Act 2004.
Information will be gathered from relationship management processes, building consent authority case managers, the building consent authority accreditation process, and other departmental processes to help us understand the barriers and therefore to develop strategies to overcome the barriers as they arise.
A key part of overcoming the barriers will be to provide information to the sector and local authorities that is:
- timely
- easily accessible and understood
- pertinent to the difficulties faced by the sector and the local authorities.
|
Building consent authority capacity and capability
There is a risk that some councils' level of preparedness and current capacity limitations could prevent them from achieving accreditation by 30 November 2007. |
Supporting local government's accreditation preparations
The Department is administering a $3 million assistance package, which includes:
- funding external contract support to councils
- dedicated one-on-one case advisors to councils
- providing national training workshops about accreditation.
The Department is also:
- providing guidance, advice and tools to support preparations
- actively supporting cluster arrangements to work collaboratively to share resources and expertise
- closely monitoring these activities.
|
Effectiveness of the WHRS reforms
There is a risk that the outcomes expected by claimants and stakeholders from the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services Act 2006 will not be realised. |
The Department will continue to work closely with key stakeholder groups in the implementation of the WHRS reforms.
The Department will implement a programme to monitor the impact and results being achieved under the new Act. |
Sustainability
There is a risk that the Department's work programme is not aligned to the Government's sustainability objectives |
Increased focus and capability
Across its work programme and in particular its work on reviewing the Building Code, amendments to the current Code and its energy efficiency initiatives, the Department will continue to work collaboratively with other government agencies (including the Ministry for the Environment and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) and will actively consider sustainability issues, including energy efficiency and building quality and design issues.
The Department's recent restructuring included the establishment of the position Chief Advisor - Sustainability.
|
Implementing a wide-ranging reform programme
There is a risk that departmental capability and capacity cannot be developed at a rate sufficient to meet the significant demands the Department's wide-ranging programmes of reforms makes on departmental resources. This could compromise the quality of the reforms for which we are accountable and the health and wellbeing of our people. |
Building capacity and capability at all levels
Recent changes to the Department's organisational structure have been designed to better align the structure of the organisation with the Department's work programme, to ensure resources are placed where demand requires. In addition, an Organisational Development and Strategy Branch has been established, with a specific mandate to focus on supporting the Chief Executive to develop people capability, core systems and strategic direction required to underpin the work programme. This work includes building leadership capability at all levels of the Department. |