Using overseas building products set to be easier

The Building (Overseas Building Products, Standards, and Certification Schemes) Amendment Bill has been passed. The changes it brings includes:

• Streamlining the citing of international standards with new Building Product Specifications to show compliance with the Building Code. This means by July 2025, more than 12,000 essential products – such as plasterboard, cladding and insulation – will be more widely accepted for use by building consent authorities (BCAs).
• Enabling recognition of overseas standards and standards certification schemes, removing the need for designers, builders or BCAs to verify standards.
• Requiring BCAs to accept building products certified overseas that have been recognised by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) - as long as they are used as intended.

Benefits of the legislation changes

The benefits of the legislation changes are:

• overseas suppliers will have more confidence that their products will be recognised for use in Aotearoa New Zealand without additional tests
• manufacturers and suppliers can reference recognised international standards and certification schemes when making claims under the Building Product Information Requirements
• owners, designers and builders will have more confidence when specifying or using unfamiliar building products
• Aotearoa New Zealand suppliers can choose to test their products against widely accepted overseas standards, giving easier access to overseas markets
• once they are in effect, Kiwis will be able easily tap into the global building product market and pay a fair price for the products they want to use.

Work to support the changes

Creating the Building Product Specifications document

A new Building Code document called ‘Building Product Specifications’ is being created to help builders and designers who need to show compliance with the Building Code. It will list all assessed building product specifications considered equivalent to those currently used to show compliance with the Building Code.

Moving standards into the Building Product Equivalency Specifications

Product manufacturing and testing standards from the acceptable solutions and verification methods need moving to the new Building Product Equivalency Specifications. This is intended to fast-track the recognition of more overseas standards and specification and reduce the burden for designer and BCAs using new products.

Identifying equivalent standards

Initial work to identify equivalent standards will look at primary building elements such as internal linings, external cladding, windows, plumbing products, and insulation as these products contribute heavily to the cost of building.

Regulation development

Regulations are expected to be developed by October. These should ensure only the best quality building products enter the market through recognition of overseas product standards and certification schemes.

New guidance material

We will also create guidance material to support the introduction of the changes and how to use them once they are in force.

Read the Minister's announcement

Going for Growth: More affordable building products – beehive.govt.nz