Prebble Richard: Building Bill — In Committee Procedure 
Prebble Richard: Building Bill — In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:619;Page:14859] 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE (ACT) 
: 
 Let me take up Mr Murray Smith’s view. I realise he has acted for a few purchasers and has never really thought about it from the builder’s point of view. 
Murray Smith 
: I read the bill. 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: Well God help them because from looking at clause 317A one is up for a $200000 fine if one transfers completes the sale of a household unit or allows a purchaser of a household unit to enter possession of that unit without a compliance certificate. [ 
Interruption 
] Wait a minute I say to Mr Smith. He has been telling members that there are not the people in the country to do those certificates. He has told members that. He said it would take 3 years. So members now know that houses will be completed and it will take 3 years before there is time for people to issue the compliance certificates. 
I put it to Mr Smith that what one could do if one has not signed a waiver is hold the builder to ransom. The builder has built the building and done everything but cannot transfer or be paid because the builder cannot get a certificate. So of course if one is acting for the builder one would say: “You must not sign any contracts to build anything unless there is a waiver to a compliance certificate automatically agreed to.” I say to Mr Smith that that is what one would do is it not? So what is the point of the bill? What is the point of the bill if no competent builder will build anything—I assure members—without a waiver certificate in advance. 
Then I come to Mr Smith’s great claim that there cannot be any residential buildings that could ever be qualified as a “public place”. Well there are some members of Parliament I have heard of who have electorate offices in their houses at the moment. They have done that. [ 
Interruption 
] Thank you. I did not quote a name. It is a public place. There are tens of thousands of people who have offices in their houses. 
Shane Ardern 
: Where does the Speaker live? 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: Where does the Speaker live? Well we could just go through it. I do not know what Mr Smith was doing when he was waving this bill through but this provision has a $200000 fine for anybody who has permitted a house to be used that does not have a building consent. I just ask where do those members of Parliament come from? 
I have given a couple of stories; I will give another one. I once bought a house in Parnell. It was four grotty flats and I wanted to turn it into a decent-sized house for my decent-sized family. I rang the carpenters union—I was getting on well with it then—and asked who I should have. It recommended to me a person whom I will not name who was a good member of the Communist Party but also a very good carpenter. He came around and saw me and said: “Look Preb I’m happy to do it but there are—[ 
Interruption 
] If the member listens she will hear it. He said to me: “There are two prices. If I have to get a building permit”—and that was under the old rules—“I’ll charge you $30000 but if you can assure me that you have a building permit it’s only $25000.” I said: “From you—a ‘com’?” and he said: “Mate you don’t want to have those building inspectors around. They just delay you forever.” I said: “I’m sure I have a building certificate here somewhere.” so we went and built it on that basis. Then I asked him: “What will we do now?” after he had finished it and he had done a very good job. He said: “I’ll ring up the council and they will come and inspect it.” So he rang the council and an official came and inspected it. Then I said to the council official: “I have moved four flats down to one. I should get a rating change out of the Auckland City Council rating value.” and he said: “Do you really want to do that Preb?”. I asked: “Just hypothetically why wouldn’t I?” and he said: “Well you have actually lifted the value.” So I saw him off the property and we decided not to revalue it. 
But the point I am making is that is how Kiwis do things. That is how it was under the old rules. If under the old rules any sensible communist carpenter would not want to have a building inspector coming around following him around and delaying him for weeks trying to get approvals then under this bill if I did what I did I would be up for a fine of $200000 and all I was trying to do was save my family some money. I did not want the Government coming along and guaranteeing the job. I knew the builder. I knew he was an honest “com”. I knew he would do me a good job—which he did. He did an excellent job; so much so that my rateable value went up. I ask the Government: who does it think it is trying to help when it puts out $200000 fines?