Labour supports building more homes at pace, but not by compromising on public safety or leaving tradespeople to carry all the risk.

“We have lived through the cost of building failures before. We must not repeat the mistakes of the leaky homes era by lowering standards in the name of speed," Labour Local Government spokesperson Tangi Utikere said.

"Without transparency, enforceable accountability, and a clear process for redress, the public cannot have confidence in a self-certifying model.

“Labour’s focus is on getting more homes built that last, delivered under a system people can trust.

“The Government is talking about a high threshold for builders to be deemed trusted, including insurance and quality assurance requirements. But we have not yet seen how that will work in practice.

“Trust in the building system depends on strong independent checks which are the reason families can feel confident their homes are safe and durable.

“The Government’s decision to advance legislation that allows plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers to self-certify is worth spending time to get right. We need to ensure construction cowboys don’t slip through the cracks.

“We will listen to industry submissions, but extending self-certification to builders for what is considered low risk residential housing is a much more significant step, and one that deserves close scrutiny.

“We will engage constructively with the proposal but will not support shortcuts that increase risk for homeowners or undermine public confidence in the system,” Tangi Utikere said.

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