The Building Amendment Bill has passed into law

Posted: 14 June 2021

law update
Parliament has passed new legislation to support the use of new, innovative and efficient building methods, and improve trust and confidence in the building system.

From 8 June 2021, changes have come into effect that will help improve compliance, deter poor or illegal behaviour and strengthen the enforcement of the building regulatory system to ensure that buildings are safe and the public are protected from harm.

The Bill introduces a voluntary certification scheme for offsite manufacturers of modular components, which will enable manufacturers who meet certain standards to sign off on their own designs and builds.

Other changes as part of the Bill include:

  • minimum information requirements for building products,
  • strengthening the current product certification scheme known as CodeMark,
  • changes to the way the Building Levy can be spent, and new and updated offences and penalties to deter poor behaviour and incentivise compliance.

Some changes, such as updated penalties commence immediately while others, such as the new voluntary certification scheme for offsite manufacturers, rely on regulations to support implementation.

These changes are the first phase of a wider work programme to lift the efficiency and quality of building work, and provide fairer outcomes if things go wrong.

Learn more about the new offences and penalties

Read about the building law reform programme

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This information is published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Chief Executive. It is a general guide only and, if used, does not relieve any person of the obligation to consider any matter to which the information relates according to the circumstances of the particular case. Expert advice may be required in specific circumstances. Where this information relates to assisting people: