A new aligned, online consents building process brings the coordination and consistency between councils necessary to enable successful development and maintenance of New Zealand homes, Property Council New Zealand believes.
More than 20 councils have signed up to GoShift, which is led by Wellington City Council with the support of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Property Council New Zealand Chief Executive Connal Townsend says more than 20 councils collaborating to improve performance, consistency and service across the building consent system is a monumental step-change in enabling the cities New Zealand needs.
“To date owners, investors, developers and builders have struggled with navigating differing documentation, processes and timeframes dependent on where they are building.”
This takes time, adds cost and is frustrating, which all deters home owners and developers from improving their homes and building new ones.
Council cooperation
“GoShift not only provides a simple, streamlined process for builders and developers, but it represents an attitude of collaboration between councils.
“That collaborative approach is critical to enable the property sector to get on with the job of building the homes, workplaces and public spaces we need.”
Townsend is “absolutely delighted” to see Wellington City Council lead this evolution.
“I encourage other councils to get on board so those building and developing our future cities have the process they need to get projects from conception to completion effectively.”
Townsend says standardised processes and systems will make participating cities more attractive to investors, as a consistent system removes the risk and time to navigate an unfamiliar process.
Lowering barriers to investment would particularly benefit smaller regional cities and towns.
“Developers and investors will have assurance that they are engaging with best-practice processes and standards whether they’re building Bay of Plenty, Nelson or in between,” Townsend believes.
“This will make investing in new regional areas more palatable and less risky.”
