The Council acts as both the Territorial Authority and the Building Consent Authority  for administering the Building Act 2004, the NZ Building Code, and associated legislation to regulate all building work within Ashburton District.  The purpose of the legislation is to ensure that buildings are constructed to meet appropriate  standards to ensure durability,  the safety and wellbeing of the users and that people with disabilities can carry out normal activities in a building. This activity supports local economic activity and also protects the safety of local residents

The charts below show the numbers of the numbers of new dwellings consented in the District over the past five years.

The Building Act

The Building Act 2004 has now been in place for 5 years with amendments made in 2005,200, and 2009.  The Act is currently undergoing a review and additional changes are expected over the next two years,

The Act is about improving control and encouraging better practices in building design and construction to ensure buildings are built right first time.

Information regarding the Building Act 2004 can be found within the Councils’ Questions and Answers Document or at the Department of Building and Housing and ConsumerBuild websites.