Sponsored building standards

The funding of the more than 120 building standards for free download further demonstrates the principle of removing barriers to compliance, so people can ‘do the right thing’. This initiative puts New Zealand on the leader board as one of the few countries in the world offering free access to building standards.

Why are standards not free?

There is a cost to managing the development of standards and providing access to Standards. Standards New Zealand operates on a cost recovery framework, consistent with the Standards and Accreditation Act 2015. Standards New Zealand is therefore required to recover its costs through the sales of standards and through arrangements with organisations who wish to commission the development or revision of standards.

Why haven’t you done this before?

In December 2017 MBIE funded five important building standards and a handbook for free download to help people ‘do the right thing’ by reducing or removing any financial barriers to compliance with the Building Code.

That pilot is the basis of current work to fund access to over 120 standards that directly help demonstrate compliance with the Building Code.

This initiative puts New Zealand on the leader board as one of the few countries in the world offering free access to building standards.

Where did you get the funds from?

MBIE will use funds from the Building Levy to sponsor these standards enabling them to be free to download, and remove a financial barrier to compliance with the Building Code.

What is the Building Levy?

The levy is collected when people apply for building consent, and it is spent on sector administration, regulation, and enforcement of the Building Act.

How much do standards cost?

Standards can range in cost from $5.50 to $550. Standards NZ operates on a cost-recovery basis, consistent with the Standards and Accreditation Act 2015, and rely on revenue from commissioners of standards and from sales of standards to recover its operating costs.

What happens to fees agreed with membership bodies which enable access to some standards at a reduced fee?

Standards New Zealand will discuss these with the respective member bodies.

How were these Standards selected?

The over 120 standards were selected because they directly help demonstrate compliance with the NZ Building Code, as they are referenced in Acceptable Solutions and Verification Methods that are deemed to demonstrate compliance. This tranche does not include any standards for which copyrighted content prevents Standards New Zealand entering a sponsorship agreement.

Why are no joint Australian/NZ Standards included?

Joint Australian/NZ Standards have not been included because they contain copyrighted content owned by other parties, which prevents Standards New Zealand entering a sponsorship agreement for free online access to these standards.

Will access to future standards be sponsored?

BSP and SNZ will work together to identify opportunities to ensure barriers to future new and revised Standards are minimised.

Will I get a refund for my PDF purchase?

The BSP sponsorship starts from the 11th of July 2019, there is no funding to cover historical purchases and therefore we will not be able to refund you for your recent purchase.

How can I obtain a hard copy of these standards?

You can purchase a hard copy of the standards from Standards NZ website. The sponsored access only applies to PDF versions and does not cover hard copies.