Building consent and resource consent serve different purposes. A resource consent determines what is allowed to be built on a site and whether a design fits planning rules and its surroundings. A building consent focuses on how that approved design is constructed, ensuring the work meets the Building Code.

The 2026 MBIE 6th Edition clarifies a long-standing gray area by removing the advice that Exemption 12 cannot be used for wet-area showers. While Determination 2024/054 confirms wall linings in existing homes can be exempt from consent, the floor remains a legal minefield. Structural changes for level-entry designs still require council approval. Crucially, work may be exempt from a permit, but it is never exempt from the Building Code — if it leaks, the owner is still liable

Under the Building Act 2004, councils have 20 working days to process a building consent — but that timeframe does not reflect real calendar time. The statutory clock can stop whenever councils issue a Request for Information (RFI) and only resumes once the information is deemed “received”. In practice, councils determine whether a response is sufficient, meaning the clock may remain paused while further clarification is sought. As a result, consents can take months in real t

The “estimated value of building work” often looks like a harmless box on a consent application. In practice, entering the total renovation budget, rather than just the work that actually requires consent, can trigger hundreds of dollars in levies that were never required in the first place.