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Otago Daily Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Selwyn building consent company expected to get green light
Private company Building Consent Approvals Ltd is expected to soon start issuing building consents in the Selwyn district. Photo: Supplied Building consents in the Selwyn district will soon be able to be issued by a private company. The Selwyn Times understands an announcement will be made on Wednesday. Until now, only the Selwyn District Council has been able to issue consents in the district. It will be the first time a private company has been given the green light to issue consents in New Zealand. Christchurch company Building Consent Approvals Ltd was given a building consent authority in October, pending approval from the Ministry of Business and Innovation. It is understood the Minister for Building and Construction, Chris Penk, will be in Selwyn this week to make the announcement. District council executive director development and growth Robert Love said the company will provide choice. 'Having a private BCA in the market provides choice for customers, so can be seen as healthy competition.' So far this year, the district council has received 398 resource consents, down 8% compared to the 428 consents. In April, the average processing time for consents was 35 days. Love did not say whether the new company would mean consents were issued faster. 'The speed of consenting largely comes down to consenting volumes which fluctuate, and can be impacted by changes in legislation, which may mean processing of some areas takes longer as the Building Code becomes more complex,' he said. Leading the project is Ian McCauley who has worked in building consent departments for multiple councils. In October, McCauley told NZ Herald: 'It's been a hard slog over the last 18 months, but it's been worthwhile and paid off.' Building Consent Approvals Ltd would not comment until the announcement was made public. It is understood once the company starts issuing consents, its focus will be on lower-risk work, leaving more complex consents to the council. A report to the council's audit and risk committee noted there was a risk the new company could mean a reduction in council workload and could see council staff move to Building Consent Approvals Ltd. While any lost consents will mean a reduction in revenue, the company will still have to pay the council a filing fee for lodging a consent.
Otago Daily Times
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Mitchell wants answers on Selwyn flood response
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell is urging councils to have a frank and honest assessment of how to mitigate flooding. Mitchell has written to all councils asking them to review current decision-making processes around flood protection and control and report back by next Friday. 'As you will be aware, there has been heightened public interest in how regional and local authorities have managed flood protection and control works during, and in the lead-up to significant weather events,' Mitchell wrote. 'Even when local authorities and staff have done exceptional work to respond to events, the perceived inability to effectively manage the flood protection schemes and waterways has contributed in some places to a lack of public trust in the emergency management system's ability to prepare for and respond to significant weather events.' The letter specifically mentioned Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere and Lake Forsyth. In the aftermath of flooding caused by two months' worth of rainfall in eastern Selwyn over 48 hours, debate has emerged over whether opening Lake Ellesmere earlier could have reduced the damage. Environment Canterbury chair Craig Pauling told Selwyn Times it was in the process of preparing a response to Mitchell. 'We are confident our opening decision-making processes are robust, but are planning to meet with representatives from Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and the Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere consultation group soon to debrief and discuss future management approaches.' The opening of Lake Ellesmere is governed by the National Water Conservation (Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere) Order 1990. Under the order, the lake can be opened anytime from April 1 to June 15 to assist fish passage. Otherwise it can be opened between April 1 and July 31, only when it reaches a water level of 1.13m. Selwyn Times recently reported community concerns about the increase in subdivisions worsening the impact of floods. Said Pauling: 'We're also working with our communities to review how we manage and fund flood and river resilience so we can strengthen and have appropriate infrastructure into the future.' Mitchell's letter also asked councils to identify any additional regulatory powers they may need. Pauling said ECan was considering this as part of its response. However, Mayor Sam Broughton said no additional powers were necessary. 'The council currently has a strong framework of legal instruments to respond to a weather emergency, and we are not looking for any additional legislative levers to enhance our response.' A Christchurch City Council spokesperson said staff were working on a response to Mitchell's letter and could not comment further until it was complete.
