Reforms helpful and necessary
substantial work. It was essential to find a way of ensuring the workforce is qualified and professional so that buildings will be of the quality that people are entitled to expect.
For many people, their home is their most valuable asset and they want to know it wasn’t put up by someone who got themselves a dog, a ute and a cellphone and called themselves a builder.
In the Viewpoint article earlier this week, Terry Hall suggested that the new regulations ‘‘are also feared to spell the end of the time-honoured ability of people to grab a hammer and build their own homes or undertake substantial upgrading work on them’’.
I know, and other members of the Government know, that owning your own home and making improvements to it is an idea close to the hearts of New Zealanders. That’s why the law passed this month specifically allows for Diyers to continue to build and renovate their own homes.
The owner-builder exemption allows people to continue carrying out critical structural and design work on their homes but they must take responsibility for that work. This information will be kept on councils’ building records for future owners to see. Again, no apologies for that – people can do their own building but future buyers should have the right to know that.
Most DIY work, such as kitchen and bathroom renovations, pool fencing, patios and standalone garages, has no new requirements.
Our research shows that the vast majority of people do not do their own critical structural and weathertightness work anyway – they employ professionals to do so.
Far from looking to impose more red tape, the new law actually seeks to cut red tape and speed up the building process by introducing risk-based consenting, which will come into force once the sector is ready.
This will ensure the amount of checking and inspection required is aligned to the complexity of the work, and the skills and the capabilities of the people doing the work. Simple job, simple checks. Complex job, more detailed checking.
There are more reforms to come – there will be more consumer protection and remedies which will give consumers added piece of mind and confidence in the sector.
These are things the Government believes New Zealanders want and it is determined to deliver them.