Building Consent processing – structure and resourcing at Mackenzie District Council.
I am conducting research into how building consent processing is structured and resourced across New Zealand territorial authorities, with particular interest in how outsourced or contracted processing models operate in practice. The purpose of this research is to better understand the building consent system and to develop tools that support building designers in preparing higher quality consent applications. This research is being conducted independently and any information received will be used for research and product development purposes only.
Information requested
I am requesting the following information relating to the processing of residential building consent applications by or on behalf of Mackenzie District Council:
Processing arrangements
- Whether Mackenzie District Council currently uses any external contractors, consultants, or private organisations to carry out building consent processing functions (including assessment of applications, vetting of documentation, or issuance of Requests for Further Information) on behalf of the council.
Mackenzie District Council currently use a contractor to help support and deliver both remote inspections and process building consent applications. - Whether this has been the case at any point during the period 1 January 2018 to the date of this request.
From 2018, Mackenzie District Council has used a contractor to support the delivery of inspections and processing of building consent applications. - If outsourced or contracted processing is or has been used: the general nature of the commercial arrangement — specifically, whether the contractor is engaged on a fixed fee per consent basis, a time and materials basis, or another commercial model. The name of the contractor(s) is not required for this question; I am asking only about the fee structure.
The contract is on a fixed fee basis which covers a different rate for inspections and again a different rate for processing. - Whether the council retains any oversight mechanism to review the volume or nature of Requests for Further Information issued by external processors on its behalf — for example, quality assurance reviews, escalation processes, or performance reporting.
Yes. Council monitors this.
Contractual documentation
- If a current contract or service agreement is in place with an external processing organisation: a copy of that contract or service agreement, or the relevant portions describing the scope of services and the commercial terms, to the extent this can be released under LGOIMA.
- If a full contract cannot be released: a summary of the key commercial terms, including the fee structure and the scope of processing functions delegated to the contractor.
I note that I am not requesting any personal information about individual building consent officers, applicants, or property owners. If any portion of the requested information cannot be released, I would be grateful if the remaining information could be provided with the withheld portions identified and the grounds for withholding stated.
NOTE: A template Agreement for Contractor Engagement was supplied. This is available on request to LGOIMA@mackenzie.govt.nz.