July 21, 2026A southern council has issued a stark warning about the cost of building consents around the country as it battles to hit its own targets with reduced staff. Reasons included potential council amalgamation, a possible centralisation of Building Consent Authorities, and impending changes to building and planning legislation, she said. Meanwhile, council group manager consenting and environment Jonathan Shaw said there had been a rise in private Building Consent Authorities and the council no longer held a monopoly on building consents. “The unforeseen outcome of this will be that building consent costs will increase beyond what they are now, which will be problematic for the country.” Council manager consenting and applications Gillian Cavanagh explained consenting processes were in for a shake-up under new legislation, with a possibility that up to 45% might not be needed.