Why the Department was formed

The Department was set up in November 2004 to improve the quality of building and housing in New Zealand.

Following a major review, the Government decided to bring together building and housing policy making, regulation and dispute resolution into one organisation. These activities were previously spread across five different organisations.

The Department has an overview of the entire building and housing sector. Our main goal is to improve building quality and housing availability for all New Zealanders. The Department connects policy development with operations to give a more integrated approach to building and housing issues.

The establishment of a core government department with responsibility for the sector reflects its importance to people’s daily lives and to the wider economy. The sector contributes around $1 in every $25, and employs one in every twelve workers.

The Department is continuing to change and develop – we have gained significant new responsibilities, and more will be expected of us in future.

Effectively, the Department is stepping into a stronger sector leadership role. We are more focussed on adding value for clients, working in partnership with the sector and delivering value for money for the Government, rather than simply on monitoring, administration and compliance oversight.

We are increasingly expected to provide vision and guidance on the major public policy challenges facing New Zealand’s building and housing sector.

Allied with this is the importance of a strong focus on client needs. In the current economic climate, with the Government expecting greater efficiency across the state sector, it’s more important than ever that our services are readily accessible and highly valued by those who use them. They also need to be cost-effective.

Another factor is technological change – this has opened up new opportunities for providing cost-effective and client-focussed services.