Building industry put on notice

The building industry needs to pull its socks up and become accountable for its own mistakes rather than turn councils into scapegoats, the Building Officials Institute of NZ (BOINZ) says.

Chief executive Len Clapham said today the building industry was being put on notice.

"If the building industry was honest and had suitably qualified people carrying out building work we wouldn't need building officials, Mr Clapham said.

"For too long building officials have been blamed for all the failures in the industry. It's time the industry pulled its socks up and became accountable for its own mistakes," he said.

Mr Clapham expressed the frustration of many building officials that the industry was still not performing.

"Those in the building industry need to pull it together or get out of the business."

Building officials had a regulatory role to perform and were left with no option but to get tougher, he said. The new requirements of the Building Act 2004 meant more scrutiny over plans and specifications, and closer inspection on-site.

"Designers, architects and builders have to take responsibility for their actions instead of blaming the councils and their officials for their mistakes," Mr Clapham said.

"For too long local councils have been the last ones standing when the industry has not fronted up. The cost to the ratepayer is unacceptable.

"This is just not good enough -- councils cannot be expected to be the scapegoats by taking all the risks while the industry and legislators walk away from their responsibilities. This has happened far too often in the past, and is an impost that no council should be prepared to accept."

Mr Clapham said the challenge for the Department of Building and Housing and the building and insurance industries was to stop abdicating responsibility and, as a matter of real urgency, work on a directive that the department can issue to protect community concerns.

- NZPA