Building consent inspections

The Building Act 2004 sets out the specific roles, and responsibilities of different parties involved in inspections of consented building work:

• The building owner has overall responsibility for ensuring the building work complies with the building consent and must ensure they or their nominated representative enable inspections to be completed as required by the building consent authority (BCA).
• The builder is responsible for ensuring that the building work is carried out in accordance with the approved plans and specifications.
• The BCA is responsible for checking that an application for a building consent complies with the Building Code, and that the building work has been carried out in accordance with the building consent.

Once a building consent has been issued and the work is underway the BCA needs to take reasonable steps to ensure that the building work is being carried out in accordance with the building consent. This normally means that the BCA will carry out inspections. 

Inspecting building work

A building consent will usually be issued with a schedule of all inspections that the BCA will undertake during construction. BCAs may use a range of different approaches to inspecting building work, including on-site inspections carried out by BCA inspectors or the use of remote inspection technology. Some inspections may be completed by third parties such as engineers.

On-site inspections

These inspections are carried out by BCA inspectors. The owner or builder is often on site and will be required to provide the inspector with the consented plans and associated documentation. Some third party inspections are also completed on-site such as a check of ground conditions by a geotechnical engineer.

Find information on typical inspections for a building project (LINK)

Remote inspections

Remote inspections are typically completed by the BCA inspector from remote locations away from the building site, including the council, home offices or different cities. The inspector is supported by an on-site practitioner such as the builder who assists the inspector. Digital technology is used to capture the information and evidence the inspector needs to check that the building work complies with the building consent.

There are two main approaches to the use of remote inspections:

• Real-time remote inspections: Similar to on-site practice, inspections conducted via live video stream enable the inspector to direct the on-site tradesperson in real time to acquire the information they need to be satisfied on reasonable grounds that the building work is being carried out in accordance with the consented plans. 
• Evidence-based remote inspections: This approach involves capturing digital information on-site, which is assessed for compliance at a later stage. The inspector sets clear expectations (photo lists) in advance. Once the information has been provided, the inspector can request additional information from the tradesperson to be satisfied on reasonable grounds that the building work is being carried out in accordance with the consented plans.

Remote inspection guidance

The remote inspection guidance provides information to BCAs and aims to assist them to make informed decisions when adopting and growing the use of remote inspection technology.

It outlines key considerations for BCAs deciding on the RI approach they will adopt and provides information for builders and the construction industry on what to expect from the different approaches that may be used by the BCA.

Remote Inspection Guidance for Building Consent Authorities [PDF 1.3MB]

Step-by-step guide

This guide illustrates the key steps and considerations for BCAs looking to adopt or grow the use of digital technology for remote inspections of consented building work.

Step-by-step guide to adopting the use of remote inspection [PDF 1MB]

View an accessible version of the step-by-step guide

Industry tools

The sector has developed a variety of tools to support BCAs and on-site practitioners to undertake remote inspections in Aotearoa/New Zealand. These tools support the user to capture the information and evidence the inspector needs to check that the building work complies with the building consent.

Artisan is an industry-good, free digital quality assurance suite developed by BRANZ. Comprised of an Android and Apple native Mobile App paired with a Web App Console, Artisan creates and curates an enduring digital record of every build.

Every stage check of a building project has been turned into a corresponding shot list, describing "what good looks like" prompting the capture of photographic evidence of workmanship and building code compliance. Builders and tradespeople complete the shot list by taking the prescribed photos on their smartphones as they go and submitting a completed shot list to the BCA for review.

Everyone from the client and design team through to product manufacturers and the BCA inspector can be alerted that a new stage is ready for review and when reviewed. Inspectors pass or fail requirements, communicate with the build team and sign off work virtually through the app. Failures can be remediated and resubmitted rapidly without inspectors having ever had to travel to and from the site for any part of the inspection.

BRANZ Artisan - branzartisan.nz

Objective Build is an online platform for the complete end-to-end building consent process. Objective Build Applicants is focused on the applicant experience and Objective Build Processing is used by BCAs for vetting and processing of consents, including the full inspection process from scheduling to completion.

The Inspections mobile application streamlines the site inspection process. Inspectors can see their booking schedule at a glance with the calendar view and use the built-in checklists to work through each inspection. Integrated with Objective Build Processing, the Inspections application syncs through the details and documentation of each booking on the go, delivering a simple and efficient user experience.

Objective Build - nz.objective.com

Zyte was founded in Aotearoa/New Zealand in 2015. Zyte's remote and in-person inspection system requires no app installation and runs in the browser on any typical smartphone, tablet or PC.

Zyte is used by BCAs and construction firms to perform remote inspections.

Zyte's latest features support 3D digital inspections without the need for an internet connection and support moisture meter readings, dwelling and room-level location detection, annotation, plan-directed inspection and many more features through their proprietary technology.

Zyte's Magic Connect technology converts ordinary phone calls into interactive inspections. All Zyte inspections (remote and in-person) create detailed digital records, improving quality and reducing risk in case of disputes. 

Zyte - zyteapp.com

Please note: The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is not responsible for the content of other websites linked to or referenced from this site (MBIE neither endorses the information, content (including the marketed product(s)), presentation or accuracy of such other websites, nor makes any warranty, express or implied, regarding these other sites or the products marketed on them).

If you have information or a tool which specifically supports remote inspections and want to share this with the sector, please email building@mbie.govt.nz

Case studies

These case studies showcase examples of the use of remote inspections by BCAs.

They provide examples of how this technology has been adopted and is being used by BCAs to save time, create efficiencies, provide business continuity and more timely services for building consent inspections.

Case study 1 - Mackenzie District Council

View transcript

Case study 2 - Auckland City Council

View transcript