Latest: New building legislation makes home improvement easier

The Building Amendment Act (No 2) is good news for homeowners because it is designed to, among other things, speed up the building consent process. It includes a streamlined process for managing minor variations to building plans after the consent is issued. This will save both applicants and councils time, and reduce bureaucracy by making project information memorandums (PIMs) voluntary.

The Act also differentiates between major and minor variations to consented building work.

The Government is also considering how it can further streamline the Act in future.