The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Building Performance team have launched the first edition of their quarterly newsletter, “Under the roof”.
To sign up to get the newsletter and to read the updates in full, visit: https://www.building.govt.nz/about-building-performance/all-news-and-updates
The Building Amendment Bill passed its first reading on 2 July 2026 and was referred to the Transport and Infrastructure Committee. The Bill is now publicly available, and submissions are now open, closing on 15 November 2026.
The Bill will amend the Building Act 2004 and other legislation to remove inefficiencies in the building system that increase costs and delay delivery.
SPASA’s previous update contains an overview of the relevant changes, which can be read here: https://www.spasa.com.au/news/nz-proportionate-liability-changes-coming-to-accountability-for-defective-work
The listed amendments which have been proposed include:
Establishing a proportionate liability system for defective building work
Introducing mandatory professional indemnity insurance for design professionals (such as architects, designers, engineers, and surveyors) that contribute to the compliance of building work
Introducing mandatory warranties for residential building work with a total value of $100,000 or more requiring building consent
Encouraging uptake of solar energy by creating a fast-track building consent pathway for qualifying residential buildings
Repealing the Building Research Levy Act 1969 and introducing a new system for allocating research funding for building sector research funding
Enabling voluntary consolidation and collaboration across the Building Consent Authority system
Further changes to support the off-site construction of small stand-alone buildings (granny flats). This bill is available online from the ‘Related links’ panel
SPASA encourages Members to visit the consultation page and submit feedback. Alternatively, Members can contact SPASA to provide feedback, which SPASA will combine into a submission.