Building Consent Authority Customer Complaints Policy

Complaints with regard to the Building Consent Authority (Building Unit) should in the first instance, be forwarded to the Council’s Building Unit Manager who will decide on further action to be taken in regard to the complaint. If the outcome is deemed unsatisfactory by the complainant, the matter will be escalated to the General Manager, Planning, Regulation & Environment.

All formal complaints to the Council must be received in writing (email, letter or via the Building Unit Complaint form above).  All complaints will be assigned a unique identifier number.  

When considering a complaint, the Building Consent Authority (BCA) will ensure appropriate levels of objectivity, fairness and confidentiality to all parties. When making a decision on a complaint the BCA will ensure that any outcomes are proportionate to the issue raised and reasons for decisions will be recorded.

We will acknowledge complaints within 5 working days and will endeavour to provide a full response within 10 working days. Depending on the priority, complexity or nature of the complaint our final response may exceed 10 working days.  The BU Manager or a nominated representative will communicate progress and provide an expected response date.

All complaints will be considered on a case-by-case basis according to the issue, risk, and impact to the parties involved. We may refuse to investigate a complaint if the complaint is frivolous, habitual or vexatious. In such circumstances our decision will be validated by the General Manager Planning, Regulation & Environment.

Where a compliant cannot be resolved by Council it may be appropriate for the matter to be addressed by another regulatory body such as Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. MBIE Determination Process

For the sake of completeness please note we monitor complaints each month and our compliance with the policy annually.


Priority Criteria 

Complaints about building control functions are to be prioritised as follows:
High - technical decisions that may have an immediate impact
Medium - complaints about processes and or how decisions were made
Low - queries on fees and charges