Speeding up council reports to get building faster

New changes are halving the amount of time councils can take to issue Project Information Memorandums (PIMs), allowing building work to get underway more quickly, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk and Local Government Minister Simon Watts say.

“Fixing the basics and building for the future for New Zealand means taking a close look at every part of the building system to identify delays, remove bottlenecks, and improve productivity,” Mr Penk says.

“Project Information Memorandums, or PIMs, are an important part of the building process. They give homeowners and builders greater certainty about site-specific requirements, like natural hazards and infrastructure constraints, before a building consent is requested and construction begins.

“Currently, councils can take 20 working days to process a PIM application, but we know time is money when building a home, and long wait times can quickly drive up costs, delay projects, and frustrate homeowners who are simply trying to get building underway.

“Right now, the system can also undermine competition in our building consent market, with private Building Consent Authorities required to obtain PIMs from councils before they can progress work. The Government wants to ensure there is a strong incentive for councils to process those applications promptly.

“To address these issues, the Government will reduce the processing timeframe for all PIM applications from 20 working days to 10 working days.”

Mr Penk says the change is set to support various key sectors to get on with building, quicker, including housing, agriculture, trades, and infrastructure. 

“Faster processing times will help homeowners and businesses to get on with their projects sooner, improve competition in the building consent market, and reduce unnecessary delays and costs, as part of the Government’s wider work programme to make building easier and more affordable for New Zealanders.

“Reducing PIM processing times will also particularly help our agriculture sector – by accelerating farm development, reducing costs, and improving investment certainty. It will help farmers and rural businesses to respond faster to market opportunities, environmental requirements, and operational needs.”

Mr Watts says councils play a critical role in enabling building and development projects, and ratepayers rely on those processes to be efficient and timely.

“New Zealanders deserve a local government system that delivers results. Cutting PIMs processing times means homeowners, businesses and farmers can get projects underway sooner by removing unnecessary barriers, reducing delays and lowering costs.

“Our Government is focused on councils getting back to the basics, ensuring they are delivering core services efficiently and improving outcomes for the communities they serve.” ...