In addition to the standard requirements for a Building Consent Application, your designer must consider if the building does/or will contain specified systems.
Specified systems are those which help ensure a building is safe and healthy for people to enter, occupy or work in, these require a compliance schedule to ensure they continue to perform as was intended when they were installed.
Your Building Consent Application form must identify all specified systems and identify if they are being added, altered, or removed in the course of the building work.
We can assist you ensure this information is acceptable at the design stage, this will help you avoid delays at the vetting or processing stage. We will not accept incomplete or incorrect applications.
New buildings
For new buildings with specified systems, your building consent application must include a draft compliance schedule or the specified system form for each system. Both the draft compliance schedule and specified system form must identify the system type, location, performance standard, and inspection, maintenance and reporting requirements.
Alterations
Applications for alterations to existing buildings with a current compliance schedule must include the a copy of compliance schedule, regardless of whether it requires amendment, and a specified system form.
A copy of your compliance schedule can be obtained by emailing [email protected]. Please take this opportunity to review your compliance schedule to ensure it accurately reflects what specified systems are currently on site. If you believe there are errors or omissions please contact us prior to submitting your building consent application so we can work with you to ensure the accuracy of the information in your compliance schedule.
Link to Specified System Form [DOCX, 58 KB]
Link to Specified System Form - subsequent pages [DOCX, 57 KB]
(please remember to select "enable editing" after downloading to complete the forms above)
Guidance documents:
Link to: MBIE Compliance Schedule Handbook(external link)
Link to: MBIE Compliance Schedule Exemplar(external link)
For a proposed new building it is recommended that an Fire Alarm Panel (FAP) location approval letter is provided with consent documentation.
Providing this letter will save time as this won't need to be part of a 'request for further information'. It also removes the risk of the panel being installed in the wrong location, which FENZ will consider a non-compliance.
FENZ can provide input at the design stage, more information about how they can help is on their website.
References:
C5.7 Buildings must be provided with means of giving clear information to enable firefighters to:
(a) establish the general location of the fire,
(b) identify the fire safety systems available in the building
(c) establish the presence of hazardous substances or process in the building
C/AS2 - 6.2.1 states ‘ If fire alarm or sprinkler systems are installed, the control panel shall be located in a position close to the Fire and Emergency New Zealand attendance point and in accordance with NZS 4512, NZS 4515 and NZS 4541 as appropriate.’
NZS 4512 notes that ‘the Fire Service should be consulted at an early stage in the design to facilitate the approval of the proposed arrangement’.
In some cases your consent applications may need to go to the Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) Fire Engineering Unit for design review under the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017. This requirement falls under section 46 of the Building Act 2004.
The types of applications that are required to be sent to FENZ are detailed on the New Zealand Gazette website.
The Fire Engineering Unit have 10 working days in which to provide their feedback to the building consent authority on
On a case by case basis FENZ may provide additional recommendations to help improve the overall safety of the proposed building design.
