The Productivity Problem
A University of Auckland study has estimated that consent-related inefficiencies cost New Zealand’s building industry approximately $500 million in lost productivity annually. That figure represents delays, duplication, rework triggered by inconsistent council decisions, and the management overhead of navigating a consenting system that was not designed for the volume or complexity of modern building projects.
BRANZ CEO Claire Falck has identified addressing this loss as a priority, with technology solutions at the centre of the organisation’s response. The goal is not to bypass consent processes — it is to make them faster, more consistent, and less expensive for the builders and councils navigating them.
Technology in Practice
BRANZ has been developing and supporting several technology tools aimed at reducing consent friction. An AI-assisted pre-check tool helps designers identify likely consent issues before submission, reducing the number of requests for further information that extend processing times and consume inspector capacity. The BRANZ Artisan app enables remote inspections for qualifying work stages, replacing physical site visits with video-based assessments that inspectors can complete more efficiently.
Jennian Homes reported achieving an average time saving of six weeks per build using the Artisan app across their operations. Two hundred and thirty-six building organisations have used the app across more than 2,200 projects. For residential builders operating in volume, those savings aggregate to a material improvement in throughput without any change to the underlying code requirements.
Research Focus for 2026
Sixty percent of BRANZ’s research investment in 2026 will be directed at housing affordability. The shift reflects a judgement that affordability is the sector’s most pressing systemic challenge — and that research capable of informing both policy and practice has a greater lever effect on outcomes than technical studies with narrower application.
Alongside affordability, BRANZ is investing in fire safety research for medium-density and mass timber construction. Its new fire lab facility, opened in May 2024, enables full-scale fire testing of building assemblies — a capability that was previously not available in New Zealand and that is becoming increasingly necessary as timber-framed multi-storey construction grows in prevalence.
Resources Available to the Industry
BRANZ operates a free building helpline at 0800 80 80 85, available to builders, designers, and property owners with technical questions. The organisation also provides independent product assurance through CodeMark and BRANZ Appraisals — a valuable resource for builders evaluating new or unfamiliar products where compliance documentation needs independent verification. In a market where product fraud and non-compliance are documented concerns, independent assurance is a genuine risk management tool.
