General

1. What is The Building Act?

The Building Act 2004 provides for the regulation of building work, the establishment of a licensing regime for building practitioners, and the setting of performance standards, to ensure that:

1. People who use buildings can do so safely and without endangering their health; and
2. Buildings have attributes that contribute appropriately to the health, physical independence, and well-being of the people who use them; and
3. People who use a building can escape from the building if it is on fire; and
4. Buildings are designed, constructed, and able to be used in ways that promote sustainable development.

To achieve this purpose, the Act requires anyone proposing to do building work to obtain a project information memorandum and a building consent from a building consent authority before commencing building work.

2. Who administers the building act?

The Department of Building and Housing (www.dbh.govt.nz) is the government department responsible for administering the Building Act 2004.

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3. What is a building consent authority?

Building consent authorities are regional or territorial authorities or private organisations registered under section 273 of the Building Act 2004, and are responsible for performing building control functions under Part 2 of the Act.

Queenstown Lakes District Council is a local Territorial Authority that has been accredited as a building consent authority – herein referred to as Council.