State of Standards

Construction sector representatives, including Master Plumbers, are seeking solutions to the many challenges they see for Standards in New Zealand. NZ Plumber takes a closer look.

New Zealand’s construction Standards play an important role. A means of demonstrating compliance with the NZ Building Code, Standards enable a consistent approach by designers, builders, Building Consent Authorities and product suppliers. They also set a benchmark for expected performance requirements for products and services not covered by the Building Code.

So, what’s the problem?

A group of construction-related industry organisations, including Master Plumbers and the Specialist Trade Contractors Federation, has come together to share common issues with Standards in Zealand. The group perceives a number of challenges for the current model, including a lack of clear overall strategy for how Standards are developed and maintained across the construction sector. The group is engaging with the Building System Performance team at MBIE to seek possible solutions.

Lack of funding

One of the biggest problems is the cost to develop, review and amend Standards. The fee can be anywhere from $7,000 for a minor amendment to hundreds of thousands of dollars for participating in a large project, such as the recent overhaul of the joint Australian and New Zealand AS/NZS 3500 plumbing and drainage Standards series.

DId You Know?

Standards are developed and maintained by Standards NZ, a business unit of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Standards are designed to improve safety, quality and best practice Standards provide a means of compliance. They are not mandatory or legally required unless referenced in legislation A limited number of free building-related Standards can be accessed at www.standards. govt.nz/sponsored-standards/ building-standards An online catalogue of Standards relevant to the plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying sector is available to Master Plumbers members at discounted rates. Details in the member log-in area at www.masterplumbers.org.nz (under Business Resources).

The group would like to see these costs being met by the Building Levy, which is collected with every building consent. “A couple of years ago, when MBIE proposed reducing the Building Levy, Master Plumbers was among the organisations against the idea, as we felt the money could be put to good use in funding Standards,” says Master Plumbers CEO Greg Wallace.

The reduction went ahead, however, leaving construction industry players in a position where they must source their own funds or request help from MBIE. It is estimated that the industry paid three times the total cost of MBIE funding towards Standards reviews in 2020, according to Wallace.

“When the joint AS/NZS 3500 series came up for review, Master Plumbers had to push hard for MBIE to fund New Zealand participation,” he says. “It went ahead partly because of the urgent need to update these Standards to reflect new knowledge about plumbing and drainage seismic requirements following the Christchurch earthquakes.”

Short notice of upcoming reviews also makes it extremely difficult for industry organisations to budget for involvement in relevant Standards as they come up during the year.

Payment for participation

Another significant issue is the lack of payment by Standards NZ to people who agree to share their specialist knowledge

on Standards committees—often taking time out of their own businesses to do so. This hits particularly hard when the participant has to travel back and forth to Australia to contribute to joint New Zealand and Australian Standards.

Master Plumbers National President Jon Lewis, for example, puts a huge amount of time and energy into the working committee for the AS/NZS 3500 Standards series—and his knowledge and input is greatly valued by Standards Australia. As he receives no payment from Standards NZ, Master Plumbers pays Jon an agreed rate to participate in the committee as well as meeting his related travel costs.

“If Master Plumbers didn’t do this, there’s every chance plumbing-related Standards like these would become permanently de-jointed and New Zealand would have no influence on their future content,” says Wallace. “This has happened to other joint construction Standards, with the result that the AS Standard may not be fit for application here.”

“When the joint AS/NZS 3500 series came up for review, Master Plumbers had to push hard for MBIE to fund New Zealand participation.”

GREG WALLACE CEO, Master Plumbers

Any short-term savings in allowing a Standard to become de-jointed could prove extremely costly for New Zealand down the track, he adds, should large public plumbing projects fall below performance requirements and need millions of dollars of repair work.

Barriers to access

The majority of Standards can only be accessed on a user-pays basis. The group believes this does not give due regard to the value of intellectual property from the construction industry and also does not adequately consider public good.

“I find it bizarre that our members voluntarily impart their industry knowledge to help develop Standards and yet Standards NZ wants to sell the portfolio of Standards relevant to our industry,” says Wallace.

Representatives from the group met with MBIE’s Building Systems Performance team in March to discuss the challenges for construction Standards. NZ Plumber will keep readers updated on progress.

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