Building Amendment Bill introduced to support faster, fairer building system
The Government has introduced the Building Amendment Bill, which proposes a range of changes to New Zealand's building system, including reforms to liability settings, consenting processes and building research funding.
The Bill had its first reading in Parliament on 2 July and has now progressed to a select committee process, giving industry stakeholders and the public an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed changes.
The reforms are designed to make it easier, faster and more cost-effective to build, while supporting a more efficient and productive construction sector, with strengthened protections for homeowners.
Key proposed changes include:
moving from joint and several liability to proportionate liability in the building system
○ introducing mandatory home warranties for new builds and major renovations valued over $100,000
○ requiring professional indemnity insurance for building design professionals
making it easier for councils to work together or combine Building Consent Authority functions
introducing a fast-track 10-day consenting pathway for eligible residential buildings with solar generation and sustainable features and reducing Project Information Memoranda (PIM) processing times from 20 to 10 working days
expanding options for the construction of granny flats, including allowing eligible offsite-built units to be constructed before a PIM is issued
modernising building research funding by combining the Building Research Levy with the Building Levy and introducing a more contestable model.
Submissions are open until 15 November 2026.