The Consent & Site Guide
The rules on this site are free. The guide is what you get when you want them turned into your build: the path you're on, what to send the council and when, the questions to ask about your site, and a cost worksheet that includes the parts nobody quotes you.
What's inside
- Your consent path, decided. A worked decision tree for the four rules — Schedule 1A, Schedule 1 exemptions 3, 3A, 3B and 43, the vehicle-or-building test, and the district plan question — with the conditions of each set out in full.
- The council checklist. What has to be notified, at what point in the build, and what to keep afterwards.
- Site questions. What to establish about a section before you commit money to it: the zone, the overlays, the title, the services and the access.
- An all-in cost worksheet. Home, delivery, site preparation, power, water, wastewater and council fees, laid out so you can put your own quotes in and see the real number.
- The source list. Every rule linked to MBIE, the legislation or your council, with the date it was last checked.
What it is not
It is not legal advice, it is not a substitute for a design professional, and it is not a set of council rules for all 67 territorial authorities. It is not a lead magnet either: buying it does not put you on a list for anything and we do not pass your details to builders.
Why it is not on sale yet
Because it is not finished, and we would rather say so than take money now. Four things have to be true before the button takes a payment: the guide is written; every rule in it is linked to its source with a date; a suitably qualified person has read it and this page says who; and the whole payment flow has been tested end to end. Until then the button below joins a waitlist and charges nothing.
In the meantime the rules themselves are free to read, and the consent path checker will tell you which one applies to your build without asking for anything at all.
Frequently asked questions
Why pay for this when MBIE is free?
MBIE is free, and we link to it on every page. What the guide sells is the work of turning 25 pages of guidance into the specific steps for one build: which path you're on, what to send the council and when, what to ask about your site, and what to budget. If reading the guidance yourself works for you, do that — everything we quote from it is on the rules pages for nothing.
What's actually in it?
The consent path for your build type; a step-by-step checklist of what to notify the council and at what point; the questions to ask about your specific site before you commit; an all-in cost worksheet covering the home, delivery, site work, services and fees; and a source list with the date each source was last checked.
Does it cover my council?
It covers the national rules, which are the same everywhere, plus a sheet of what to ask your own council — because district plan rules genuinely differ council by council and anyone who claims to have them all is guessing.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. Ask within 14 days and we'll refund it, no argument. That sits on top of your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act, which nothing we write can take away.
Who wrote it and who checked it?
It's written by the team here, from the same sources as the rules pages. Before it goes on sale it will be reviewed by a suitably qualified person, and this page will say who that was. Until then it isn't for sale.
Is it legal advice?
No. It's general information about the rules and how to work through them. It doesn't replace a design professional, your council, or a lawyer for your particular site.