What is a conflict of interest?

Definition of conflict of interest:

  • Perceived conflict of interest is where other people might reasonably think you are not being objective.
  • Potential conflict of interest is where the conflict is about to happen or could happen.
  • Actual conflict of interest is where you already have a conflict.

What constitutes a conflict of interest is defined within the Kāinga Ora policies linked above and in particular can include but is not limited to:

  • Approaches from Construction and Innovation Group (CIG) staff to meet a request to provide them a compliance service
  • Building work that the BCA or their employees have an interest in or are involved in e.g. Kāinga Ora buildings
  • Commercial, financial, political or personal interest in a piece of work,
  • Being subject to inducements, coercion, threats, or other pressures that might affect independence or ability to perform their responsibilities. If an employee or contractor is in a position to render an official decision that will benefit them personally or people with whom they are closely associated
  • Involvement in another business
  • An employee being member of, or having involvement in, a trust or community
  • A spouse or partner directly reporting to you
  • A spouse, partner or member of your immediate family designing or constructing buildings across the country
  • Carry out pre-purchased or survey inspections, or design or construction work where you may be involved in the processing of the application or inspection of the work
  • Having a financial interest, professional or legal obligation (such as being a trustee) in a property which is the subject of a building consent
  • Having worked on a project in previous employment which is the subject of a building consent
  • Conducting any design or construction work across the country

How conflict is managed?

The Consentium BCA receives all its applications from within its parent organisation of Kāinga Ora and therefore managing the conflict within the organisation is paramount in ensuring that Consentium is not in any way influenced by any conflict.

Managing the conflicts is at the forefront of the Consentium BCA.

There is an ongoing conflict of interest between the Consentium Building Consent Authority and the Kāinga Ora Construction and Innovation Group (CIG).

These conflicts are recorded at the organisational conflict of interest register, discussed at the BCA Management meeting and recorded through any documentations that requires interactions with Consentium and the need to declare any conflicts:

  • Conflict declaration (form) between Consentium and Kāinga Ora Construction and Innovation Group describing in detail how the conflict will be managed, both internally and should an issue arise, e.g. a record of a detailed discussion
  • Engaging contractor for either the design stage or building/construction stage, record of the signed contract with any conflict declaration
  • Pre-Application stage of the consenting process, declaration of conflict
  • An application where a conflict has been identified (process on how these are managed during the consenting life cycle)

Page updated: 4 December 2020