You will need the following documents (in pdf form) before you can submit your application:

• A Record of Title (less than 3 months old).
• Project plans, including site plans, floor plans, drainage and services, elevations, electrical plans.
• Specifications relevant to the project.
• Supporting documents. This includes a Ground Report for any foundations or drainage, brace calculations, truss certificates, on-site wastewater details, engineers documents and calculations, cladding specifications (specific to the job and not the entire document), memorandum of design work etc.

This guide from MBIE (the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) will also be able to assist you with what you need to provide when applying for a building consent. 

• Building Consent Guidance

From 31 August 2020, some building projects no longer need a building consent, making it faster and easier for people to turn their building dreams into a reality.

These are the types of building projects that may no longer require a building consent:

• SOME single-storey detached buildings such as sleepouts, sheds and greenhouses up to 30 square metres (see 'Sleepouts' and 'Accessory Buildings'). 
• Carports (up to 40 square metres )
• Ground floor awnings, verandas and porches (up to 30 square metres ).
• Repairing and replacing some existing building elements. 

Solar panel arrays, permanent outdoor fireplaces or ovens, water storage bladders for irrigation and firefighting purposes, short-span small bridges, hay barns and pole sheds are also included.

Even though these building projects may not need a building consent, all work must meet the Building Code and some work requires a professional. Some projects also require Resource Consent (see 'Resource Consents' tab in the side bar). It's important that homeowners know there are still rules that need to be followed.

If you own the property, you own the responsibility. This means you must check whether your building project requires a Building Consent or Resource Consent.

All the information you need to make your decision is available at https://www.building.govt.nz/buildit

Lodging a building consent application is subject to fees and charges, which are applied as soon as the consent is lodged. Please ensure your application is complete before lodging, as time spent on Requests for Further Information, or RFIs, is charged hourly.

You will be invoiced when processing is complete, and the building consent is issued when the invoice is paid. 

If a consent is withdrawn before issue, some charges such as processing time still apply. 

Typically a building consent incurs a range of charges. For a new dwelling for example, you will be invoiced for consent fee, inspections, code compliance certificate, processing fee (time), MBIE and BRANZ levies, BCA Accreditation levy, compliance check, online system charge and insurance. 

See Fees and Charges for the complete list of Fees.

Our customer guide to PIMs and Building Consents (PDF 357.58KB) is available to view or download here. 

There are also a number of helpful websites that you can access to find more information and guidance about building and construction. Check them out here:

The New Zealand Home Building Guide gives a good overview of the designing and building process.

Building Performance - Projects & consents has guidance on every aspect of building.

BRANZ has fantastic information on designing and building to our country's climate, earthquake and energy needs, amongst other things. BRANZ Map will take you to an interactive map of climate and earthquake regions. 

Level is the NZ Authority on Sustainable Building, it has everything you need to know about building houses and living in a sustainable way, on or off the grid.

Objective Build User Guide

The Westland District Council now processes all building consents online via an electronic system called Objective Build.

• Click here to lodge a consent or create an account.

A minor variation is a minor modification, addition, or variation to a building consent that does not deviate significantly from the plans and specifications to which the building consent relates.

Application for a minor variation to building consent

To install a new or replacement log burner, diesel heater etc., you or your plumber need to apply for Building Consent via the Objective Build online consenting system. 

Click here to lodge a consent or create an account.

This Spaceheater Specification form should be filled in and attached to your application as a pdf. 

WBCA 002 Spaceheater Specification V1.0.13

If your heater has a wetback for hot water, it must be fitted by a Licensed Plumber. 

Once the spaceheater is fitted, the installer should use this declaration to record their work:

Installers Declaration for Solid or liquid fuel heater and wetback

Upload this document to the online consenting system 'Required Documents' tab.

As of November 1st, 2024,where more than one smoke alarm is required in a household unit, interconnected smoke alarms will be needed. Currently, two types of interconnected smoke alarm systems are permissible under the standard: wireless or mains powered. 

All alarms must include a hush button, either on the alarm itself or in another readily accessible location for temporary silence during false alarms.

Where work has been undertaken without a Building Consent having been granted and certification is required as to the apparent standard of the work, application can be made for a Certificate of Acceptance. It is likely that a Certificate of Acceptance would be associated with other legal proceedings relating to the unlawful building work. It may be necessary for you take legal advice. These applications should be submitted through the online portal.

All applications MUST be accompanied with detailed plans, including site plan, floor plan, elevations, cross sections etc and supporting information including, bracing details, engineer details (if any), ground bearing report, specifications, truss certificates and any other information to support your application. If these details are not provided your application may be rejected.

• Click here to lodge an application or create an account.

If the public uses all or part of your building, and you want them to access it before your building work has been signed off as complete, you can apply to the council for a certificate for public use. Your application will need to show that all or part of the building (whatever you are applying for) can be used safely by members of the public.

If you don't have a certificate for public use, you could be fined up to $200,000 and fined up to a further $20,000 for every day or part of a day the offence continues.

You can only apply for a certificate for public use if a building consent has been granted but the code compliance certificate has not been issued. You will still need to apply for a code compliance certificate once the building work has been completed.

See MBIE guidance at "Public access while building or altering a public building".

• Certificate of Public Use Application

Please return the completed CPU application form to  buildingadmin@westlanddc.govt.nz or post to Private Bag 704, Hokitika 7842 or deliver in-person to 36 Weld Street, Hokitika.

Please do not email or attach the application to the Building Consent via Objective Build. CPU's follow a different operational process and sending it to the consent might cause unnecessary delays.

Extension of time to commence building work

Under Section 52 of the Building Act 2004, a Building Consent lapses after 12 months if work is not started. You can apply for one extension of time for 12 months if circumstances have prevented you from starting work. 

Extension of time to complete building work

If no application for Code Compliance has been received at 24 months, the BCA has 20 days to make a decision on whether to issue or refuse a Code Compliance Certificate (CCC). You can apply for an extension of time to complete the work to avoid CCC refusal. However, if CCC is refused, you can still carry on working and having work inspected as before, and apply for CCC at some point in the future. The BCA then has 20 working days to make the decision to issue or refuse CCC. 

You can apply for either Extension of Time using the following forms:

• Application for Extension - Online Form
• Application for Extension

A Building Consent is required for the installation of all on-site wastewater disposal systems. All applications require the form 'Evaluation and Information for Onsite Wastewater Disposal'  to be completed by a plumber/drain layer/engineer for inclusion with the building consent application. The form can be found on the West Coast Regional Council website at this link :

• West Coast Regional Council - Application forms

Residential and small to medium sized apartment buildings are classed as Restricted Building Work and must be designed and constructed by Licensed Building Practitioners. LBP’s include Designers/Carpenters/Roofers/External Plasterers/Brick and Blocklayers/Foundation Specialists/Professional Engineers/Architects/Plumbers and Gasfitters.

The following forms are required to be completed by the Licensed Building Practitioners:

• Memorandum – Certificate of Design Work
• Memorandum – Record of Building Work

Residential and small to medium sized apartment buildings are classed as Restricted Building Work and must be designed and constructed by Licensed Building Practitioners.

LBP’s include Designers/Carpenters/Roofers/External Plasterers/Brick and Blocklayers/Foundation Specialists/Professional Engineers/Architects/Plumbers and Gasfitters.

• View the LBP Public Register
• View the Architects Board Register
• View the IPENZ Register

The form is required to be completed for a request for waiver or modification in respect of Compliance with Building Code Clause B2 Durability on a Code Compliance Certificate. This form must be completed by the owner or agent.

• Request for Waiver of Modification

• View the Temporary Building/Marquee Checklist

MultiProof Eligibility Expanded

The Government has relaxed eligibility criteria when applying for the national multiple-use approvals scheme, MultiProof. 
From 14 December 2025, more developers can now apply for a MultiProof to speed up building consents for standardised designs.
With MultiProof approval, nationwide developments will benefit from a faster building consent process.

Building consent is still required for MultiProof approved designs, but this is limited to addressing site-specific features such as foundations and site services and must be completed within 10 working days instead of 20.

The following eligibility requirements have now been removed to make it easier for more developers to access this approval pathway:

• Requirement for applicants to build a design at least 10 times over two years, provided the designs are still intended to be replicated.
• Requirement for applicants to intend to build themselves.

Supporting Shared Designs

Expanding eligibility for MultiProof will make it easier to share MBIE-approved architectural plans and designs. Applicants can choose to make MultiProof plans available to builders and homeowners, giving them confidence that these builds will benefit from faster, more efficient consenting.

Express lane for new supermarkets

In March 2025, the Government sought feedback from the grocery sector and potential new entrants on possible barriers limiting supermarket development. 

In response to industry feedback, the Government has taken three key actions to create an express lane for new supermarkets:

• Amending the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 to clarify grocery developers’ eligibility for the fast-track approvals process.
• Selecting Christchurch City Council to manage building consents for eligible supermarket developments nationwide.
• Removing restrictions to use MultiProof for faster building consent of standardised designs.

These changes have been made as part of a package of reforms to make it easier for new competitor supermarkets to be built in New Zealand.  More information on the Government’s grocery work programme is available on the MBIE website. 

Centralised supermarket building consent service to boost grocery competition – Building Performance

Supermarket competition – MBIE

A sleepout is an Accessory Building to a main dwelling and cannot be built on its own. It can not contain drinking water supply or kitchen facilities - if it does, it is considered a dwelling. 

If you obtain building consent, a sleepout can contain a solid fuel heater and bathroom, as can a shed or garage. 

You will need to consider Building Code requirements regarding durability, storm water disposal and smoke alarms - you must install smoke alarms if the detached building is going to be used for sleeping. 

If the existing dwelling uses an onsite wastewater disposal system (septic tank) you will need to check whether the system has the capacity for the extra person/people. 

You should also check the planning regulations with WDC Planning Department. 

Some sleepouts can be built under the Schedule 2 Exemptions, and may not need building consent. The above considerations would still apply, and it must still meet Building Code requirements.

To be exempt from a building consent, a sleepout should be less than 30m² and under 3m in height should have no plumbing or bathroom facilities. 

See MBIE's guide: Constructing a sleepout that does not require building consent