A bill designed to lift the overall performance and productivity of the building and construction sector passed its first reading in Parliament last night.The Building Amendment Bill (No 3) is the result of a comprehensive review of the Building Act 2004.
A bill designed to lift the overall performance and productivity of the building and construction sector passed its first reading in Parliament last night.
The Building Amendment Bill (No 3) is the result of a comprehensive review of the Building Act 2004.
Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson said it spelled out clear accountabilities for builders, building consent authorities and consumers.
It also provides for a risk-based consenting process where the amount of checking and inspection is aligned to the risk and complexity of the work and the skills and capability of the people doing the work.
"This bill will make it clearer who is accountable for what," Mr Williamson said.
"People will know what is expected of them and what they can rely on others for. This should see more work built right first time."
Mr Williamson said the changes to the building consent system were expected to reduce compliance costs over time, but not at the expense of building quality or public safety.
The bill includes a Code of Ethics under the Building Practitioners Scheme and licensed builders will be able to be disciplined for breaches.
The bill passed its first reading on a unanimous vote and was sent to the local government select committee for public submissions.
