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What you need to know

Do you have plans to renovate your home, or build a house?

When you first start to design your building project, we recommend that you should talk to our staff.

Early advice can help you make informed decisions about your project and avoid unnecessary processing delays and unexpected costs.

Make an appointment with our building or planning staff and bring your plans along, even if they're only at the concept stage.  You should also talk to your neighbours and any other people who may be affected by your ideas and plans.

Building consent

Some building projects need supporting documents from qualified professionals to be submitted with your application. If your building work is structural or affects the weather-tightness of the building you will need to employ Licensed Building Practitioners to do the work.

You'll need professional advice and information for:

If you're building or extending on a property that doesn't connect to the city’s or Te Karaka’s wastewater system, you need to install a septic tank system.
Also see pamphlet ‘Residential wastewater systems and septic systems

See list of residential wastewater system approved assessors.

Houses must be built on ground defined as ‘good ground’ (100kPa bearing strength).

There's little ‘good ground’ in the Gisborne region and testing is required on most sites.

Your building work must be designed to take your specific site into consideration.

See the pamphlet - Bearing capacity and geotechnical investigation requirements.  Or talk to your designer or our staff.

This is needed if your property is on a hill slope or close to a stream.

Whether you need a geotech report depends on other specific conditions. Our staff can help you or talk to your designer.

Also see pamphlet - Bearing capacity and geotechnical investigation requirements

The building floor will need to be above the flood zone level, with an extra 300mm added to minimum floor levels.

Also see pamphlet - Building on a flood prone site. Or talk to us.