Other legislation

Sometimes, other legislation may affect your building consent application and place restrictions on the build; if this occurs we will let you know. Some examples include but are not limited to:-

Resource Management Act 1991

Where you need to apply for a resource consent (this usually means you cannot start construction until resource consent has been obtained).

Fire and Emergency Act 2017

Where a fire evacuation plan is required or your consent involves a fire design that is subject to a review by the Design Review Team at Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ)

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014

Where the land or building has historical or cultural significance approval is required before construction commences

Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996

Where construction involves the storage or manufacture of hazardous substances and new organisms measures are required to protect the environment, and the health and safety of people and communities.

National Environmental Standard for Air Quality

The National Environmental Standards for Air Quality are regulations made under the Resource Management Act 1991. They set a guaranteed minimum level of health protection for all New Zealanders.  When applying for a building consent for a fire place you will need to comply with these standards to ensure your fire has an appropriate level of emissions and efficiency. All new wood burners installed from 1 September 2005 on properties less than 2 hectares in size must have emissions of less than 1.5 grams of particles per kilogram of dry wood burnt and a thermal efficiency of not less than 65 per cent. Find more information on energy efficiency on MBIE's website.