Building Act and Important Information Listen The Building Act The Building Act 2004 aims to improve control of and encourage better practices in building design and construction to provide greater assurance to customers. This means: People who use buildings can do so safely and without endangering their health Buildings have attributes that support the health, physical independence and well-being of the people who use them People who use a building can escape from the building if it is on fire, and Buildings are designed, constructed and be able to be used in ways that promote sustainable development. The New Zealand Building Code The Building Code sets out the criteria that building work must meet and provides a range of ways to meet standards of performance. The Department of Building and Housing The Crown established the Department of Building and Housing, for the purpose of managing and providing guidance on building legislation and controls. They also manage the tenancy, weather tightness, determinations and statistics/monitoring of the building sector. The Building Levies A levy is attached to all Building Consents where the building work has an estimated value of $20,000.00 or more (including GST). The levy is used to fund The Department of Building and Housing functions and The Building Research Act 1969. The levy is calculated on the total value of the building work, not just the amount over $20,000.00. If the building work is going to be done in stages under several Building Consents, then the levy will be calculated on the total estimate of all stages, not on the individual value of each Building Consent. There is currently two levies charged to a Building Consent, these are: The Building Industry Levy (DBH), andThe Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ).The Department of Internal Affairs administers the levies and reviews the rate on an annual basis. All levies include GST, if you wish to find out what the current levies are please contact Council.Building Levy is reducing A change has been approved to reduce the building levy rate. From 1 July 2020, the levy rate will be reduced from $2.01 to $1.75 (including GST), for every $1,000 (or part thereof) above the levy threshold of $20,444 (including GST). The building levy threshold will be standardised at $20,444 (including GST), to help create consistency amongst Building Consent Authorities (BCAs). Helpful Links The Building Act 2004 (NZ Legislation website) The Building Act 2004 Amendment 2013 (Information about the Act on the DBH website) Building Code Compliance The Department of Building and Housing The Department of Internal Affairs NZ Homeowner's Building Guide Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) Central North Island - Home Owner's Building Guide Home Owners Rights and Obligations Ministry of Health Water Collection Tanks and Safe Household Water Earthquake Prone Building Information
