Plans to licence builder well-received: Minister

The idea to licence builders came from the Building for the 21st Century: Review of the Building Code discussion document released in May.

Cosgrove says more than 300 submissions were received and they are now being analysed.

Work is under way into establishing the criteria for 13 license classes, he told the Fire Protection Association conference last week.
A second discussion document will be released in the first half of next year and it will contain much more detail on the new code’s proposed performance criteria.

The Building Code review is scheduled for completion in November 2007, with the new Code projected to take effect in 2008.
Cosgrove says another change coming up is to the auditing and accrediting of Building Consent Authorities (BCAs).

Under the Building Act 2004, only registered BCAs will be allowed to do building consent processing work, building inspections and consent approval functions from November 30 next year.