Producer statements (PS4) for third-party inspections carried out on site are often provided to the Dunedin City Council at the end of the project.

This creates risk to the Council as we have permitted work to continue when the required third-party inspections may not have been carried out, or it was carried out by a person that is not suitably qualified. 

There is also considerable risk to the property owner and contractor if a code compliance certificate may not be able to be issued if the PS4 is not available.

Recent findings from an external audit of the Council and from the Government report: Bella Vista development in Tauranga indicate that a PS4 should be accepted by Council before approval is given to carry out subsequent work.  Examples of this are:

• PS4 for ground and foundation inspections should be accepted by Council before above floor work begins
  
• PS4 for wall framing work should be accepted by Council before the inspected members are lined or clad
  
• PS4 for inspection of basement tanking should be accepted by Council before the walls are back filled
  

We are reviewing our processes and will keep you up to date with any changes we plan to make to mitigate risk to all parties.