If you have a new or innovative product, or want a marketing advantage for your product, you may want to consider the product certification scheme CodeMark.

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CodeMark is a voluntary product certification scheme that provides an easily-understood and robust way to show a building product meets the requirements of the New Zealand Building Code. A product can be a building or construction method, building design or a building material.

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CodeMark is suitable for any building product but is particularly beneficial to manufacturers and suppliers of products that are innovative, new to the market or would have serious consequences if they failed. It also provides a marketing advantage as certified products are deemed to comply with the Building Code, are listed on our public Register and can use the CodeMark brand on advertising relating to the product.

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CodeMark is an unchallengeable form of product assurance. Building consent authorities (BCAs, usually councils) must accept a product certificate as evidence of compliance with the Building Code – that is, as long as the product is used in accordance with the use and limitations defined on the certificate.

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Manufacturers and suppliers may find alternative or less stringent levels of assurance, such as product technical statements (PTSs) or independent testing, are enough for building products that are already well used and accepted in the New Zealand building industry.

 

How CodeMark developed

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The Building Act 2004 and the Building (Product Certification) Regulations 2008 provide the legislative basis for the CodeMark scheme in New Zealand.

 

The regulations prescribe the:

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criteria and standards for accreditation as a product certification body including the fees payable to the accreditation body

criteria and standards for certification of products

minimum content for product certificates

We developed the current product certification scheme, known by its brand name CodeMark, in conjunction with the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) as the trans-tasman building products market is becoming increasingly integrated. The scheme operates in both Australia and New Zealand in accordance with the CodeMark Scheme Rules.

JAS-ANZ (the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand) has been appointed by us and the ABCB as the body responsible for assessing and accrediting product certification bodies.

Accredited product certification bodies are the only companies who can evaluate products for CodeMark and issue CodeMark certificates. They must follow the CodeMark Scheme Rules when doing so.

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Deciding on product certification

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To apply for CodeMark, you will need established evidence and technical information about your product and its compliance with the Building Code. There are fees involved, as well as annual audits and inspections.

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Applying for CodeMark takes time and investment, so you need to decide whether it is the right decision for your building product.

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Product certification, CodeMark, is designed to lift standards of building quality and performance.

Because of the extra time and cost involved in achieving CodeMark certification, it is best suited to innovative, higher-risk products where the manufacturer or supplier may find it difficult to satisfy BCAs that the product is Building Code compliant. It is also suited to manufacturers or suppliers seeking to improve their product’s acceptance in the New Zealand market.

If your product is CodeMark-certified, it:

proves it meets Building Code performance requirements

ensures it is capable of performing as intended

streamlines the building consent and inspection process

gives you a marketing advantage

is listed on our public register.

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CodeMark is unchallengeable and has legal status equivalent to that of an Acceptable Solution or Verification Method. Building consent authorities (BCAs, usually councils) must accept a CodeMark certified product as complying with the New Zealand Building Code when it is used in building work, as long as the product is specified for use in accordance with the certificate.

Product certificates are valid indefinitely – until withdrawn by the certificate holder. They may also be suspended or revoked by us or the product certification body in certain situations.

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Audience for product certificates

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The main users of product certificates are:

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BCAs when assessing building consent applications, as they must accept certified products as Building Code compliant within any conditions and limitations noted on the certificate and when used in accordance with that certificate

designers and specifiers when considering or comparing building products and checking where and how they can be used

trade merchants to promote products and assure consumers that products are Building Code compliant (when used in certain situations)

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building owners when selecting products.

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Accredited product certification bodies are the only organisations that can evaluate and issue your building product with a CodeMark certificate. There are CodeMark Scheme Rules they must follow when doing so.

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If you want to have your building product certified for use in building work in New Zealand, you must apply to a product certification body accredited to carry out certification services against the performance requirements of the New Zealand Building Code.

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Some certification bodies certify products against both the New Zealand and Australian Building Codes whilst others operate solely in the New Zealand market. You can determine the suitability of a certification body by contacting it directly and checking that its scope of accreditation includes the clauses of the Building Code that are relevant to your product, or alternatively you could check the JAS-ANZ register.

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You will need to pay an application fee to the certification body, as well as ongoing audit costs. Audits are carried out, on an annual basis, to monitor products and their manufacturing process and to keep the certificates valid.

Having a CodeMark-certified product does not eliminate the need for a building consent or building consent authority (BCA) inspections during the building process. BCAs need to be satisfied that the conditions on the certificate for the CodeMark product have been met and its proposed use is within the scope of the certificate. They do not need to sight or assess any of the product’s supporting evidence, such as test reports, calculations and assessments and must rely on the certificate itself as proof of compliance with the Building Code.