Wairoa District Council is the first council to adopt GoShift's standardised application forms.

And it recently passed an IANZ assessment of its building control processes with flying colours.

"The successful assessment has shown that the forms are of a standard to pass the IANZ test," says Helen Montgomery, Chief Operating Officer, Wairoa District Council.

"We're excited to be part of GoShift and the improvements its going to bring to customers' experiences with building consent applications," she says.

GoShift aims to improve performance, consistency and levels of service across the building consent system.

Twenty-three councils from the middle and lower North Island and top of the South Island are involved in the initiative which is supported by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment.

Standardised application forms are the first step in the initiative which, in the future, will see councils sharing expertise and resources as well as making it simpler and fast for people applying for building consents.

Ross McCarthy, GoShift Strategic and Engagement Manager, says it's been great to see Wairoa lead the way by being first to implement the forms.

"We will be using their experiences to help other councils make the shift," he says.