Managing the effects of your build
In this section
Before you or your contractor dig...
Most of damages to underground infrastructure result from “insufficient excavations practices”. Always go to www.BeforeUdig.co.nz (or check our online GIS maps) before your project starts to obtain information on the location of cables, pipes and other utility assets in and around any proposed dig site. This helps to protect you and valuable public and private assets during these works.
Checklist to identify required authorisations
If you answer 'yes' to any of the questions below, you or your contractor might need to proceed with submitting an application to Council.
Ecan's Builders Pocket Guide provides easy, effective and realistic advice on how to adopt good site practice and manage your environmental impact and comply with the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), and regional and local council rules and regulations.
Infrastructure | Questions | Application(s) required |
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Road |
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Road usage |
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Trees |
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Poles/cables |
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Water |
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Stormwater, water races and land drainage |
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Culvert |
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Wastewater |
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Your responsibilities as a property owner
We advise property owners who are not managing their building project to contract their responsibilities to their agent/builder and to require that they submit the required applications on their behalf to Council and other regulating agencies.
All building work which impacts public infrastructures must meet the Council's urban design requirements. It is the property owner's responsibility to mitigate the effects of their building project on public infrastructure by obtaining the required authorisations from Council throughout the building process or requiring that their contractors obtain these authorisations on their behalf.
Understand the risks of not submitting the required applications to Council
- The Council does not maintain non-compliant infrastructure. Maintenance of non-compliant infrastructure is at the owner's costs. Therefore, if you fail to submit required applications before completion of building work (e.g. a new culvert or a driveway) the work may not always comply with the Council’s urban design requirements, meaning it would be at your cost to maintain.
- Non-compliant work may affect the sale of your property as a note may appear on your property file and LIM that identify that non-compliant work has been completed on your property.
Contracting your obligations out
- If you're not the project manager, it still pays to know your rights and obligations in the building process so you can protect yourself and others within the law. Contracting your obligations out might be the right thing to do when dealing with a complex project or simply in order to keep your peace of mind during the build process.
- A written contract is always a good way to ensure you and your contractor understand your rights and obligations from the start of a project. Make sure your contract spells them out. For example, your contract should include a payment schedule, a dispute resolution process and information about who does what in the building process.
- For more information refer to the MBIE: Homeowner Rights and Obligations section.