BC Update: No.61 - Fees set for accreditation of building consent authorities
8 May 2007: The Government has set the fees that territorial and regional authorities (councils) will pay International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ) to be assessed against the standards and criteria for accreditation as building consent authorities.
The Building (Consent Authority Accreditation Fees) Regulations 2007 were published in the New Zealand Gazette on 3 May 2007 (Issue No.48, page 1272) and took effect on 4 May 2007.
As summarised in the table below, there are eight fee bands for initial applications by territorial authorities.
| Total value of building work consented (annual average over previous three financial years) |
Initial accreditation application and assessment fee (GST inclusive) |
Less than $15 million
|
$16,000 |
| $15 million or more but less than $50 million |
$22,785
|
| $50 million or more but less than $100 million |
$29,570 |
$100 million or more but less than $200 million
|
$36,355
|
$200 million or more but less than $400 million
|
$43,140
|
| $400 million or more but less than $800 million |
$49,925 |
$800 million or more but less than $1200 million
|
$56,170
|
| $1200 million or more |
$63,495 |
The calculation of the annual average value excludes consents for building work valued at less than $5000 and in respect to any single building where the value of the building work is more than the value of all other building work consented in that financial year.
Regional authorities that apply for accreditation will pay the minimum fee of $16,000.
Councils can choose whether to recover the cost of accreditation from building consent applicants.
The Government has acknowledged that accreditation places additional costs on councils, but considers them justified in the interests of assuring New Zealanders that their homes and buildings are being built right first time. It has provided a $3 million accreditation assistance package to enable councils to bring in external resources to help them prepare for accreditation. Funding of about $900,000, covering nearly 50 applications, has been approved to date. The Department has also developed various guidance material for councils.