Council to continue issuing consents

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Chris Tremain
  • Gerry Brownlee
Building and Construction Local Government Canterbury Earthquake Recovery

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says the Christchurch City Council can and, must, under section 212 of the Building Act 2004, continue issuing building consents, despite losing its accreditation.

International Accreditation New Zealand revoked the council’s building consent accreditation today following its inability to bring its processes up to the required standard.

“The Council is obliged to continue processing building consents. It is still registered under section 191 of the Building Act, which under section 193 allows the council to perform the functions of a building consent authority.

“Revocation of accreditation does not automatically revoke the Council’s registration as a BCA, but it does mean it no longer meets the criteria for registration.

“Officials from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, including a structural engineer, are working alongside the Christchurch City Council building consent department ahead of the Crown Manager’s arrival, to identify process problems and encourage change,” Mr Brownlee says.

Local Government Minister Chris Tremain says it will be business as usual for the consenting department. The Crown Manager being appointed to overhaul systems and processes will make required improvements over time.

“It’s my hope the Crown Manager will help the CCC regain its accreditation well before the initial deadline of December 2014.

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says it’s important to note that IANZ has not said any CCC building consents were issued illegally.

“In a letter to me following an interview on Radio New Zealand’s Checkpoint programme, IANZ says while granted consents may not be technically compliant with the requirements of the Building Code and/or Act, this should never be interpreted as consents are not legal.

“To allay any concerns about recent consents MBIE officials have already started work on an audit of those IANZ has raised concerns about. The scope of a wider audit is yet to be determined,” Mr Williamson says.