Roger Partridge In August 2025, the government announced the biggest reform to New Zealand’s building consent system in two decades. The problem? Councils facing massive liability for building defects have become so risk-averse that the entire consenting system has seized up. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk cited the scale of exposure: in one Queenstown case, ratepayers faced potential liability of $160 million for weathertight defects. Had the case not been settled priv...
