Reform Auckland Council's resource and building consent processes
The issue
As a business owner in construction for over a decade, I've watched with frustration as Auckland Council's resource and building consent processes have become increasingly burdensome, complicated, and expensive. This is not just my ordeal; it affects homeowners, building professionals, and businesses across the region. The current regulatory environment, instead of facilitating growth and development, acts as a roadblock, stifling innovation and inflating costs.
Consider this: over the past ten years, the time to obtain necessary consents has drastically increased. According to reports, Auckland Council processes more than 22,000 building consent applications annually. However, the methodology used often leads to excessive delays. These delays translate into financial losses, not only for professionals like myself but also for homeowners who are left waiting months, sometimes years, to complete projects. In a city where housing affordability is already a crisis, these unnecessary delays and costs only exacerbate the problem.
Moreover, the process itself is riddled with inefficiencies. For instance, the need for repeated submissions and the high likelihood of rejections for minor details are common. This analysis is supported by both anecdotal evidence from countless industry professionals and various industry reports that highlight a bottleneck in council’s systems.
To address this issue, the Auckland Council must streamline its consent processes as a matter of priority. This could involve investing in more efficient digital systems, increasing staffing to handle the volume of submissions, and providing clear, straightforward guidelines for submissions to avoid unnecessary back-and-forth.
We call upon Auckland Council to urgently review and reform their resource and building consent processes. By doing so, they will not only support the construction industry but will also benefit everyday Aucklanders looking to build or renovate their homes. Let's push for a change that fosters innovation, reduces unnecessary expenditure, and alleviates the housing crisis by simplifying and speeding up the consent process.
Things we need to change within council building and resource consent processes.
1 - Resource and building consents must be issued within the 20 working days or the submitter shall consider their application approved. Statutory clocks may not stay on hold anymore than 24 hours after information is submitted. RFI’s may not be used as a form of delaying any consent. If an RFI is found to be deemed already supplied, unnecessary or un-related the council must not charge for this time and time the statutory clock was on hold must be removed from the total 20 day processing time.
2- Charges around any building consent are to be regulated and capped to 1.5% of total project value. Timesheets must clearly justify how the time was spent. There shall be no delay from council if the submitter asks for a review or explanation of the time taken.
3- Council are not required to inspect or sign off any work that has been designed by an engineer and inspected by that engineer throughout build process.
4- Council must provide a clear breakdown of where money is being spent on infrastructure or is forecasted too be spent when issuing development contribution notices.
5- CCC time shall be reduced to 10 working days. Most information is supplied to inspectors throughout the build process. Once seen this should be logged into the system against that project.
6- Council inspectors may not ask or request any for information if not stated on stamped and consented plans. They may also not fail any inspection due to this.
7- There must be a clear and easy system that licensed professionals can dispute decisions or neglect of council representatives/ inspectors. Just like any other LBP, council members must maintain a level of professionalism and competence.
8- Resource consent processing needs to be streamlined. The submitters planner and the council planner need to work together rather than against each other costing the client money. If found to be neglecting their responsibilities or requesting information or terms not governed in the resource consent act this time is to be refunded to the client.
Sign this petition to show your support for a more efficient, cost-effective, and responsive consent system in Auckland.
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The issue
As a business owner in construction for over a decade, I've watched with frustration as Auckland Council's resource and building consent processes have become increasingly burdensome, complicated, and expensive. This is not just my ordeal; it affects homeowners, building professionals, and businesses across the region. The current regulatory environment, instead of facilitating growth and development, acts as a roadblock, stifling innovation and inflating costs.
Consider this: over the past ten years, the time to obtain necessary consents has drastically increased. According to reports, Auckland Council processes more than 22,000 building consent applications annually. However, the methodology used often leads to excessive delays. These delays translate into financial losses, not only for professionals like myself but also for homeowners who are left waiting months, sometimes years, to complete projects. In a city where housing affordability is already a crisis, these unnecessary delays and costs only exacerbate the problem.
Moreover, the process itself is riddled with inefficiencies. For instance, the need for repeated submissions and the high likelihood of rejections for minor details are common. This analysis is supported by both anecdotal evidence from countless industry professionals and various industry reports that highlight a bottleneck in council’s systems.
To address this issue, the Auckland Council must streamline its consent processes as a matter of priority. This could involve investing in more efficient digital systems, increasing staffing to handle the volume of submissions, and providing clear, straightforward guidelines for submissions to avoid unnecessary back-and-forth.
We call upon Auckland Council to urgently review and reform their resource and building consent processes. By doing so, they will not only support the construction industry but will also benefit everyday Aucklanders looking to build or renovate their homes. Let's push for a change that fosters innovation, reduces unnecessary expenditure, and alleviates the housing crisis by simplifying and speeding up the consent process.
Things we need to change within council building and resource consent processes.
1 - Resource and building consents must be issued within the 20 working days or the submitter shall consider their application approved. Statutory clocks may not stay on hold anymore than 24 hours after information is submitted. RFI’s may not be used as a form of delaying any consent. If an RFI is found to be deemed already supplied, unnecessary or un-related the council must not charge for this time and time the statutory clock was on hold must be removed from the total 20 day processing time.
2- Charges around any building consent are to be regulated and capped to 1.5% of total project value. Timesheets must clearly justify how the time was spent. There shall be no delay from council if the submitter asks for a review or explanation of the time taken.
3- Council are not required to inspect or sign off any work that has been designed by an engineer and inspected by that engineer throughout build process.
4- Council must provide a clear breakdown of where money is being spent on infrastructure or is forecasted too be spent when issuing development contribution notices.
5- CCC time shall be reduced to 10 working days. Most information is supplied to inspectors throughout the build process. Once seen this should be logged into the system against that project.
6- Council inspectors may not ask or request any for information if not stated on stamped and consented plans. They may also not fail any inspection due to this.
7- There must be a clear and easy system that licensed professionals can dispute decisions or neglect of council representatives/ inspectors. Just like any other LBP, council members must maintain a level of professionalism and competence.
8- Resource consent processing needs to be streamlined. The submitters planner and the council planner need to work together rather than against each other costing the client money. If found to be neglecting their responsibilities or requesting information or terms not governed in the resource consent act this time is to be refunded to the client.
Sign this petition to show your support for a more efficient, cost-effective, and responsive consent system in Auckland.
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Petition created on 19 September 2026