19 October 2007

Rodney first in Auckland to have building consent accreditation

Rodney District Council is leading the way in the Auckland Region by being the first council to be accredited as a Building Consent Authority.

The purpose of the accreditation is to ensure that buildings are designed, built and inspected correctly the first time. It follows the ‘Leaky Building’ issue and is designed to lift the standards and performance of building control functions in local government.

The accreditation means Rodney District Council has demonstrated its policies, processes, systems and staff resources meet the high standards set by the Department of Building and Housing.

Geoff Mears, Council’s Director of Customer Services, says achieving the accreditation was the result of several months of intensive work by the Building Control team.

“This very time-consuming and specialist project was achieved by the team while delivering ‘business as usual’ so it was an excellent effort all round,” says Mr Mears.

“Homes and buildings are usually a family’s biggest asset and this accreditation is part of the Government’s programme to give the greatest possible protection to home and building owners and future owners.”

Mr Mears says the consenting and inspection processes are an important part of any building project to ensure the finished product has been designed and built to the highest standard.

In today’s world with new technologies, it was unfair to rely on the builder to have all the skills and knowledge to ensure the integrity of the building. The value of a code compliance certificate really becomes apparent when raising finance, getting insurance or achieving the best sale price.

Mr Mears says the accreditation follows a thorough independent audit of council’s processes by the Government appointed testing body and will be followed by the licensing of tradesmen and designers.

ENDS

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