Consents dept secures a pass

QUEENSTOWN Lakes District Council’s building consents department has achieved a pass mark in its latest twoyearly assessment.

Over four days earlier this month, three assessors from International Accreditation of New Zealand (IANZ) audited the department’s practices and compliance with regulations.

They identified 14 general noncompliances, of which half were resolved during the assessment.

The seven remaining noncompliances compares with six after its last assessment two years ago.

The council must provide the independent Crown agency with a list of proposed corrective actions by November 22.

It must resolve the issues by February 21 to keep its accreditation.

In a media statement, council building services manager Chris English said the assessment made it one of the most compliant building consent authorities in the country.

‘‘This is a marked difference to 201516 when [it] came very close to losing its accreditation.’’

Three and ahalf years ago, IANZ assessors identified a raft of problems as an understaffed department struggled in the midst of a building boom.

Builders and landowners experienced delays of weeks and months as the department grappled to process consents within the statutory 20day timeframe.

Planning and development general manager Tony Avery said significant investment had been made in the department in the past four years to improve the ‘‘core council service’’.

‘‘I am proud of the hard work made to improve processes and ensure best practice across the board.’’

To prepare for the assessment, the council hired a consultant in June to audit the team and measure it against regulations.

Since its 2016 nadir, staffing has grown from 25 to 42 fulltimeequivalent positions, and eight contractors were helping with processing and inspections.

The council’s building consent authority is one of the largest in New Zealand, based on building consent volumes.