Summerset Retirement Villages will be the only company in New Zealand to have an exclusive Building Consenting Authority with FarSightNZ.
Summerset Retirement Villages celebrates the registration of Farsight NZ LP as a private Building Consenting Authority (BCA) as a significant step forward for the delivery of future retirement village developments.
Farsight is the second company in New Zealand to be made a private BCA and will work exclusively on Summerset projects. This is a unique partnership in New Zealand which will allow Summerset, one of New Zealand’s largest residential builders, to work faster and with greater certainty.
Summerset’s Chief Development Officer NZ Aaron Smail said Farsight’s partnership with the retirement village company will provide greater consistency and predictability of application of the Building Code across Summerset’s nationwide development pipeline.
“Having one consenting partner who knows our designs, our business and our work will allow us to move faster and provide our high-quality homes to elderly New Zealanders.
“While we adapt our designs for local conditions, Summerset’s portfolio relies on often repeatable, proven building typologies, especially for its independent villas, serviced apartments, care centres, and community facilities.
“Working with a dedicated BCA familiar with these build types will help streamline consenting and reduce rework. It enables faster decision-making, clearer expectations, and improved alignment between design, construction, and compliance than going to individual councils who each have to learn about our business and what we build.
“The consenting process can vary widely from council-to-council. This consistency will greatly improve our processes and will allow us to deliver villages on time and to a consistently high standard.”
Smail said the company has 40 villages completed or in development, and land to build more than 4,600 retirement village homes in its pipeline.
“We’re constantly looking for quality sites to grow our footprint. It’s well known that New Zealand is not building enough retirement homes to meet the expected demand – if we can make this process easier it will allow us to work to better meet that demand.”
Farsight’s Founder and Principal Rob Tierney said the company is proud to have achieved Building Consent Authority registration following a significant collective effort by its team and partners.
“We recognise that BCA registration carries an important public responsibility. Our focus is on delivering a robust, independent, and professional service that upholds the integrity of the building control system,” said Tierney.
“We are grateful for the support and collaboration of Summerset throughout this process. In line with our shared commitment to quality and capability, Farsight will commence operations in a measured and staged manner to ensure systems, people, and processes are fully embedded from day one.
“This milestone reflects strong teamwork, careful preparation, and a clear commitment to doing things properly.”
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