Landscapers should note changes in the revised Building Act, which are expected to bring stronger building product information requirements and strengthen CodeMark certification
The Building (Building Products and Methods, Modular Components and Other Matters) Amendment Bill arrived at its third reading in Parliament in June. Many building supplies stakeholders made submissions.
Once passed, the new Building Act will aim to “lift the efficiency and quality of building work and provide fairer outcomes if things go wrong”, according to MP in charge Poto Williams.
Three key areas of reform in the bill are:
Stronger building product information requirements.
Improvement of certification for modular building components.
Strengthening the product certification scheme known as CodeMark.
Stakeholders who made submissions on the bill gave their opinions regarding:
Building Product Information Requirements (BPIR).
Whether the split of supply chain responsibilities to meet BPIR is clear.
The proposal that manufacturers and importers should be responsible for producing information for the building products they supply.
The proposal that manufacturers and importers must make claims about how their building product meets relevant Building Code compliance clauses.
Whether it is a reasonable timeframe to have an 18-month transition period after building product information requirement regulations are introduced.
Feedback was sought and received around fees for manufacturer certification and product certification, and how those fees will affect building businesses.
Key changes coming through the new Building Act include:
A requirement for manufacturers and suppliers to provide better information around building products, which the discussion document says will “support better and more informed decision-making, help designers and builders to choose the right products and install them in the way intended and support faster consenting”.
Strengthening the CodeMark scheme to prevent the registration of unsuitable products.
Providing a new voluntary certification scheme for modern construction methods.
Creating new offences and penalties for breaches of requirements and certification.
Increasing the scope for using the Building Levy to enable MBIE to spend levy funds on activities relating to the broader oversight of the industry.