The Government is considering changing the way building consents are processed, and local councils could be stripped of the ability to issue them.
The office of Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says the Government is exploring regionalised or centralised approaches to issuing consents.
About 70 local bodies issue building consents at present, but under the regionalised option, that work would be done in just a few main centres.
Centralising the process would see all consents processed in one hub.
Some provincial councils are opposed to the idea, with Horowhenua mayor Brendan Duffy saying local councils would not be able to maintain building standards in their own communities.
Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt says valuable local knowledge of buildings would be lost if councils were removed from the consenting process.
He says a central authority would not provide an adequate service for people in the regions, and councils bereft of control over building could still be liable if anything went wrong.
Builders' groups approve
Two building groups, however, support a centralised consenting process.
Master Builders Federation chief executive Warwick Quinn says that at present a house on one side of the street can have a different set of requirements to a house on the other side, because they're under separate district authorities.
Mr Quinn says centralisation would make building standards more consistent, cut bureaucratic costs and make life easier for builders.
However, systems of communication between a central authority and builders in remote areas would have to be devised.
Construction Industry Council chair Pieter Burghout says while building practices need to be standardised nationally, a central authority would still require a local presence.
Local Government New Zealand says it is advocating better dialogue with the Government over any alteration to the consent process.
The minister's office says local councils and the building sector will be consulted before any changes are made.
