To find out how to apply for building consent at Whakatāne District Council, read the Ministry of Building and Innovation's Guide to Applying for a Building Consent.
Note: if you are applying for a building consent, consult the District Plan.
Project Information Memorandum (PIM)
A Project Information Memorandum (PIM) provides information about land and the requirements of other Acts that might be relevant to proposed building work. You can apply for a PIM online through AlphaOne, this information will be helpful when applying for your building consent.
Building Consent Application
Our online building consent application portal is the most efficient method of applying for a building consent.
Please note: although the application portal will work on smartphones and tablets, its interface has not yet been optimised for those devices. You may have a better experience overall if you use the application portal via a desktop PC.
Apply for a building consent online »
Online building consent application instructions
If needed, a video walkthrough of the application process is available below.
- Downloadable application forms
Please note: The hardcopy form is only provided as a courtesy for those who are unable to use our online consent application system for technical reasons. This form should only be used if you are completely unable to apply online.
Application for project information memorandum and/or building consent - (PDF, 180 KB)
If you are applying for a consent that incorporates residential building or renovation, check out our page on Restricted Building Work.
Cost of applying for building consent
Building consent fees are charged on an actual and reasonable basis and are reviewed annually.
Improvements to your property may affect the capital value component of your rates.
For example, if you add a new bedroom that adds $10,000 value to the property, your rates may increase at the start of the next rating year (July).
For more information, call Building Control on 07 306 0500, send us an online enquiry or email info@whakatane.govt.nz
Paying your building consent deposit
The amount payable is dependent on cost of work as follows:
| Value of work | Deposit |
|---|---|
| Less than $10,000 | $515 |
| $10,001 - $25,000 | $770 |
| $25,001 - $50,000 | $1,250 |
| $50,001 - $100,000 | $1,550 |
| $100,001 - $250,000 | $2,100 |
| $250,001 - $500,000 | $5,100 |
| $500,001 or greater | $8,250 |
Online applications
Payment of deposits made via the online application portal can be made online at the time you submit your application.
Hardcopy applications
Once you have completed your documentation, you will need to book an appointment to have your application vetted for acceptance. You may be required to be in attendance while your application is entered into our system.
Lodgment of the application will need to be accompanied by the applicable deposit. If you are unable to make this payment via our online facility, payment can be direct credited to Whakatāne District Council using the information below.
- Account - 01 0434 0334411 00
- Particulars - BCDEPS
- Code - Owner’s surname (Smith, for example)
- Reference - Address of consent location (14 Commerce Street, for example)
Hazards in the Whakatāne area
Whakatāne and surrounding areas are known for a number of geotechnical, geographical, features and natural disaster events. We are in an earthquake zone with a fault line running through part of the Whakatāne town, we have an active volcano, (Whakaari/White Island) 50 kilometres offshore, and sections of the town are built on reclaimed land. Investigations and modelling are constantly being carried out to better understand what needs to occur to allow buildings to be built safely.
During the building consent process, we will ask for additional information to best address any identified issues, this may include, but is not limited to:-
- Flooding issues - what the minimum floor height would need to be. For properties located within the Whakatāne township, a Flood Level Report can be requested online, All other properties can apply for a Flood Level Report through the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's website.
- Seismic requirements
- Liquefaction issues (MBIE have provided a guidance document “Planning and engineering guidance to potentially liquefaction prone land) to further explain what considerations need to be considered for liquefaction)
Where consents are issued where there is a known hazard on the land, Section 71 and 72 of the Building Act 2004 come into play. If your building work makes the hazard worse then, the building consent must be refused. If your building work does not make the hazard worse then, the building consent can be granted, however, a notification is put onto the Record of Title for the land.
You might find the Practice Note - Managing Natural Hazards Under the Building Act - (PDF, 1 MB) useful.
A project information memorandum (PIM) will identify any known hazards on site. More information about PIMs »