Property Council New Zealand recommends the following:
- The proposed Order in Council which declares a building product or method aligns with the international building code.
- Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (“MBIE”) develop a standardised building product information requirement form that can be adopted by local government to ensure a consistent national approach is taken and mitigate the risk of increased consenting costs.
- Introducing a liability cap of 20% for local government for building products outside of the MMC model to ensure a fairer allocation of risk and responsibility is introduced across the sector.
- MBIE incorporate internationally recognised products when looking to strengthen our product certification scheme.
- The levy surplus be spent on the following; a national products register, skill shortages and training of apprentices, insurance policies, innovation and other future focused projects, training of BCA inspectors to standardise approach across NZ, and improving the quality of RIF applications.
- Amending section 378 of the Building Act to have a provision which allows for MBIE to apply for an extension to the court (rather than extending the current investigation period from 6 to 12 months which may not be required due to MBIE’s new proposed investigatory powers and MBIE no longer relying on voluntary compliance).