WELLINGTON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand homeowners can now build small "granny flats" without consents under new legislation taking effect Thursday to ease housing pressures and cut red tape.
The reform is designed to lower costs for families wanting to add small standalone dwellings to their properties, as updates to the Building Act and the new National Direction under the Resource Management Act (RMA) take effect, said RMA Reform and Housing Minister Chris Bishop.
The changes remove consent requirements for structures up to 70 square meters, known as granny flats, and are expected to save homeowners up to 5,650 NZ dollars (3,248.83 U.S. dollars) while speeding up the building process by up to 14 weeks, according to a government statement.
"It's an exciting day for Kiwis across the country who have been waiting for the green light to build a granny flat on their property without going through costly and time-consuming consent processes," Bishop said.
Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones said the measure would help extended families, small communities, and businesses like farms that provide staff accommodation.
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk cautioned that exemptions apply only to code-compliant designs built by authorised professionals.
Officials forecast up to 13,000 additional granny flats over the next decade, creating construction jobs and expanding housing options. ■
