Labour’s Kieran McAnulty says the Government must proceed with caution to avoid another “leaky homes” disaster.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The Labor Party is “cautiously” backing the government’s proposal to allow professionals to approve their own work.

The coalition consults on a the self-certification process for plumbers, plumbers and builders, provided they work on low-risk projects and have indemnity insurance.

Building and Construction Labor spokesman Kieran McAnulty said his party supported the move but wanted the Government to proceed with caution to avoid another “leaky houses” disaster.

“We are cautiously supportive. Ultimately, we need to streamline the building approval process, but we’re being careful not to forget why the process came about in the first place,” McAnulty said.

“The leaky building saga has cost the country, and it has cost homeowners, $11 billion and I think the concerns that have been raised by many stakeholders, who are urging caution and urging the minister to be careful here, are justified .

“But there’s no reason to oppose it, so we’ll support it, but we want to see the details and we take the minister at his word that he’s taking those concerns into account and hopefully that will work out in terms of how the regime will play”.

AUT construction management professor John Tookey said the government’s proposal was sensible – but only if companies took responsibility for shoddy work.

“If they have the proper certification, they have the proper approvals to be able to do the work and self-certify fine, but they should also have some level of professional indemnity insurance associated with fixing defects if it goes wrong.”

“What we need to be in is a situation where we don’t end up with a leaky houses 2.0 scenario.”

Jennian Homes chief operating officer Aiden Jury told RNZ the current building permit system was outdated and needed to be changed.

“It’s been digitized a bit, but really it’s the same old ‘Put some plans, inspect them and move on.’ We believe it’s time for change, the industry has been asking for change for a long time and we need to hurry. supports the process”.

The jury said allowing professionals to self-certify their work would mean professionals could complete projects faster and save homeowners money in the long run.

The self-certification scheme will now be out for consultation before the government makes a detailed policy decision in the new year.