Building Consent
If you are considering building or plumbing work, you need to talk to Council to see whether a building consent is required or not.
Work that does require a building consent is set out by the Building Act 2004 (Schedule 1). Although your particular project may be exempt from the need for a building consent, the work must still satisfy the provisions of the Building Code.
Basic building jobs, such as laying a patio or installing kitchen cupboards, do not require a building consent.
The Schedule 1 Guidance document will help you find out if your planned work needs a consent.
Restricted Building Work & Licensing
On 1 March 2012, Restricted Building Work and Licensing came into effect. Building practitioners need to demonstrate their ability to meet industry competencies in order to obtain the status of a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP).
Restricted Building Work (RBW) is work which is critical to the integrity of a building and can only be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP).
There are a number of guides available to help you plan and better understand restricted building work.
Guide to Restricted Builidng Work (RBW) (external link)
Carrying out Restricted Building Work (external link)
Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) Licence Classes (external link)
Search Public Register for Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) (external link)