2009 Q4 Building Industry Confidence Survey Results
eboss, the online technical library for the New Zealand building industry, has conducted its quarterly survey of building industry professionals to assess confidence levels amongst the architects, architectural designers, builders, engineers, interior designers, specifiers and suppliers that comprise the New Zealand building industry. More than 175 building industry professionals representing every region of New Zealand responded to the survey.

8. Centralisation of building consents: Mixed feelings

Building consents will be centralised as part of Auckland Supercity, and many other groups of Councils around the country are considering following suit. There are mixed feelings about centralising building consent processing, with a slim margin of just 5% between the ‘Yes’ contingent (40.6%) and those who oppose the idea (35.4%).

Among the ‘No’ vote is a Southland Architectural Designer who says, “the current local consent authorities have a good understanding of the local peculiarities of their own area which will be lost or ignored by centralisation.”

On the other side, Mike Flooks believes there is a lot of merit in having a central processing organization.

“It has the potential to make it much easier from a designer or architects point of view if the expectations for what needs to be submitted don’t vary so much between Councils,” says Flooks.

Download the full Building Industry Confidence Report here.