Greg Wallace: Master Plumbers CEO on the Government's new self-certification scheme for building consents

There’s assurance the Government's proposed building consents scheme, allowing tradespeople to self-certify, is safe. 

Businesses with a track record of delivering bigger projects will be able to access streamlined consenting. 

Qualified tradespeople will be able to forego inspections for low risk builds through the opt in 'self-certification scheme'. 

Master Plumbers Chief Executive Greg Wallace told Ryan Bridge there's proof it works. 

He says Gas Fitters and Electricians have already been self-certified for 14 years, with no significant issues. 

Wallace says it will save workers and customers time and money, as at the moment adding 30 centimetres to your bathroom will take around four inspections to get a consent. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The government's planning to hand tradees the power to consent
basic housing projects. Businesses with a proven track record, such
as those building hundreds of near identical homes each year,
will be able to access a streamlined consent process. Plumbers
and drain layers will also be able to certify their
own low and general risk work without needing the council
concent or inspection or anything like that, just like electricians

(00:23):
and gas fitters, who can already self certify at the moment.
Greg Wallace is the Master Plumber's chief executive. He's with
us live this morning. Greg, Good morning, Welcome to the show.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Good morning, Ryan, great to be on, Thanks for.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Being with me. What types of jobs are we talking
about here?

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Look, it's low risk. It's normally your DJ, your Jenny
in or your single level new house build awesome minor
renovations we're talking about, Ryan, We like.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
You could if you're putting new to shower and etc.
Does that need to be go through hoops at the moment?

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Well, if we if a bomber comes into your house,
Ryan and just moves the bathroom fixes around existing bathroom,
the schedule one, you need no consent for that, so
you can move the toilet, shower base and all around
in different positions, and then the schedule one the Building
Act allows you to do that. If you add one
foot onto your bathroom at home, you then have to

(01:20):
go through a consent and get about the four inspections,
which really does add to the cost and time for construction.
So the whole concept about this is getting more productivity
in the construction industry and lowering costs for consumers.

Speaker 3 (01:35):
So those types of renolds would be included here if
you were moving a bathroom or you were making a
bathroom bigger look.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Extensions, when you're adding an on site to bathroom, we
hope they will be included. Those are the details that
the government still has to come through with their consultation,
but we deem that as low risk, absolutely, And it's
a bit like the granny flat Ryan where there's sixty
square meata and obviously they have a bathroom in a
kitchen and they're going to be non consented and non

(02:04):
inspected as well.

Speaker 3 (02:05):
True, so it's kind of apples and apples there, isn't it.
How much time and or money do you think this
could save us?

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Well, the significant delays and consenting and inspections, particularly when
we had an eight year high of the construction sector.
So we're talking you know, consent from million dollar home
can be anything north of ten thousand dollars, But it's
really the productivity goings that we'll get. You can rate
now in clean sand between fifteen and twenty days for

(02:36):
a pre line inspection and sometimes because there's four inspections.
You know, you're getting to high levels of productivity that
you're waiting around for a process to happen of red
tape that you've got to trust your trades people to
be able to do it and then back them with
good guarantees and insurance programs.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
How do we separate the good eggs from the bad eggs,
the good trades from the bad ones.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yeah, so that's what creditation program that the Prime Minister
and Minister Ping talked about. You'll have to prove your quality.
I mean what I would say is guest that's been
self certified for fourteen years now along with our friends
the electricians, and we just don't have significant issues for
that trade. A guest is ninety nine percent also a

(03:22):
plumber and a dream rayer. So we're hoping that the
quality that the guests for the industry has shown New
Zealand consumers will flow through to plumbing and joy.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
Greg.

Speaker 3 (03:33):
I'm really hopeful that this will speed up the renners
I want to do in my house. So I'm very
appreciative of you're coming on this morning. Appreciate it, Greg,
Thank you, Thanks Ron. Greg wallis Master Plumber's chief executive.
These changes are as Greg mentioned, They've still got a
lot of hoops to get through, but hopefully they will
be coming into force next year sometime. For more from

(03:53):
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