Monday 2 October
Wellington to introduce online building consents
Building consents in Wellington can now be handled through an easy, streamlined online application service, Wellington
Mayor Justin Lester has announced.
After a successful trial, that involved six other councils, from today (Monday 2 October), the service will be available
to all Wellington City Council building consent customers.
The service allows applicants to submit their building consent applications via an online portal.
Justin Lester says this is a goal Council has been pursuing for some time. “Simplifying our building consents process is
a huge priority for our Council. A simple, easy to use online portal will allow people to track their applications and
make the process easier.
“This is going to be an enormous win for Wellington – it will make it easier to do business in the city, and take a big
hassle out of building new homes. For a Council focused on affordable housing and boosting economic growth, this is a
no-brainer.
“As someone who’s set up my own business, I know what a difference this would have made.”
The Mayor said public feedback from the trial had been extremely positive.
"Customers are finding the service quicker and easier to use," he said. “They also love being able to track progress
online.”
All of the Council’s current building consent customers will be advised about the new online service.
The online service is being provided by GoCouncil, a partnership between Master Business Systems (MBS) the developers of
GoGet and Nuwave. MBS has more than 20 years of experience working with council building departments.
Wellington City Council is part of GoShift, an initiative involving more than 20 councils, from Western Bay of Plenty to
Nelson, which aims to improve the building consents process.
Economic Development portfolio lead Councillor Simon Marsh says Council is intent on removing barriers to doing business
in the city.
“The ultimate goal is a one stop shop for consenting and regulatory processes. Online building consenting is a step in
that direction and will be a big boost for local businesses demonstrating Wellington is open for business. Offering a
simpler process with fewer delays will save our small businesses time and money.
“I want this to be the best city in the country to start and grow a business, Council’s role is to minimise hurdles
wherever possible for that business to succeed.”
Councillor Marsh adds the Council is already using the new standardised building consent application forms and the
online service is the next stage in the initiative.
Standardised processing checklists have been developed and, in the future, inspection checklists will also be
standardised and there will be a single, best practice quality management system.
ends