In these newsletters, we cover the latest building industry news, trends, and tips. In this particular issue, we cover current consent and inspection timeframes, how keeping an up to date history of your inspections can help speed up the Code Compliance Certificate process, how to submit for pre-approval on alternative products, and details on where to find out if your building work is exempt from needing a consent.

Building trends

The first two months of 2025 have followed a trend set in previous years, with building consent activity in January remaining quiet as people in the industry finish up their holidays, before a return to the higher numbers we’ve come to expect in once everyone returns to work. We received 132 building consents in February, and our Processing team is managing to turn these around at a great rate – averaging around 13 days and processing 97% of consents within the 20 day statutory timeframe.

Inspection timeframes continue to be at satisfactory levels too. It’s currently taking approximately two days to get an inspection in Queenstown and five days in Wānaka. With building activity well and truly starting to ramp up in the district, our Inspections team has recruited two additional building inspectors, and we’re hopeful more resource will ensure these timeframes remain at such a pleasing level.

The demand for sections in new residential subdivisions coming to the market recently demonstrates strong demand remains for people wanting to build new houses in the Queenstown Lakes District. Park Ridge in Queenstown has seen good demand, and with 77 of 89 available sections at Koreke Rise in Hāwea sold within weeks of going to market, it looks as though strong new build activity is set to continue into the future.

Chris English
QLDC Building Services Manager

Building inspection updates

After the usual quiet start to the year in January as many in the building industry enjoyed some rest, relaxation, and a well-deserved break, inspection numbers in February returned to normal levels – resulting in 1600 completed across the district.

2024 saw a total of nearly 19,500 inspections completed in the year, and of these, 80% were completed on-site. The remaining 20% were completed either remotely or as desktop updates. Of all the inspections carried out, approximately 60% took place in the Queenstown-Whakatipu Basin zone and the other 40% in the Wānaka-Upper Clutha zone.

Our Inspections team is currently made up of 10 staff inspectors, supported by four contractors. And with two new members expected to join the team soon, we expect lead times for inspections to remain within the acceptable timeframe of two to five working days.While we’re on the subject of inspections, a friendly reminder to please monitor your building consent file on eDocs and ensure all the failed and in-progress items are being addressed as your build continues.

If you are sending in photos, documentation and minor variations with the purpose of getting the inspection updated, please remember to book the relevant inspection type for either an on-site re-inspection or desktop review. Before booking a Final, the inspection history should ideally be up to date to ensure the process of obtaining a Code Compliance Certificate is easy and as quick as possible.

We look forward to working with you through 2025. Feel free to contact our team if you require any assistance, either email building@qldc.govt.nz or call 03 450 0369.

Submitting alternative product information for pre-approval

A recent update to the Building (Forms) Regulations allows for the pre-approval of alternative products, plans, and/or specifications during the building consent application process.

Applicants should carefully consider the risks and benefits of submitting alternative product details for pre-approval. The more alternative documentation provided, the longer it may take for the processing officer to review the application – potentially resulting in more requests for additional information. This could lead to increased time and costs for your application.

If you wish to submit alternative documentation, please clearly indicate this on your Building Consent Application Form within the attachment section. It's also important to present this alternative documentation in a clear and organised way to avoid significantly increasing the size of the document sets. This will help ensure the processing officer can efficiently assess the consent and inspect the construction on-site.

Strengthening of Building Warrant of Fitness scheme

New legislation was introduced at the end of last year with the Building (Earthquake-prone Building Deadlines and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. It allowed for changes to better protect the safety of building occupants.

The Bill clarifies that the Independent Qualified Person (IQP) must only issue a certificate for a specified system (Form 12A) if the inspection, maintenance, and reporting procedures stated in the compliance schedule have been fully complied with during the previous 12 months. It is an offence to issue a certificate when a specified system has not met these requirements.

You can read more detail about this on the New Zealand Legislation website.

Do you need a building consent?

Thinking about undertaking some building work? Unsure whether it would require a building consent or be exempt?

Some building work in Aotearoa New Zealand does not require building consent, with more details provided under Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) also provides an interactive tool for homeowners that can help with decision making. Try it out at https://www.canibuildit.govt.nz/.

Additionally, QLDC can also make discretionary exemptions. This is a pathway offered by Council where the work requires a building consent, but the building consent process might be overly onerous for the scope of work.

We've developed guidance criteria to assist owners with these potential exemptions. You can find them listed on our website and within our

Application for Building Consent Exemption (AF EX) form.

To apply, simply upload the application form and any relevant documentation (e.g., Plans, Specifications, Producer Statements) to our Community Portal.

More information can be found on MBIE’s Building website and in their detailed guidance document. It has examples of exempted and non-exempted work.

CCC applications for historical building consents

It’s always important to apply for your Code Compliance Certificate (CCC) as soon as building work has finished. But if you completed building work over five years ago and never obtained CCC, we’d recommend reading our guidance on CCC Applications for Historical Building Consents (IS 3.4). It outlines what to expect and the documentation to provide.

How can I find out if CCC has been obtained?

All your consent documentation will be listed on our eDocs portal, along with the rest of your property files. You can access it at https://edocs.qldc.govt.nz/.

If you have trouble accessing your files or have questions, contact us via phone on 03 450 0369 or email us at building@qldc.govt.nz.

What happens if I don’t obtain a CCC?

Not obtaining CCC may have an impact on insurance policies you have. The status of a CCC decision will be listed on the Land Information Memorandum (LIM), and it may have implications if you ever decide to sell your property.

To view previous issues, please visit: https://www.qldc.govt.nz/services/building-services/additional-information/brace-yourself-building-services-newsletter
If there is a topic that you would like to see covered, please let us know by emailing: chris.english@qldc.govt.nz