PS1, PS2, PS3 and PS4 — who issues each, and what a council can actually require.
Producer statements are among the most misunderstood documents in a consent pack. Councils publish the forms but rarely explain them, and the four types are routinely confused for one another. This page sets out what each statement covers, who can sign it, and where the limits of a council's authority sit.
The numbers describe the stage of the project, not a hierarchy. Two are about design, two are about the work actually built, and different people are qualified to issue them.
PS1 (Design) — a Chartered Professional Engineer's opinion that the design complies with the relevant Building Code clauses. Issued at consent application.
PS2 (Design Review) — a second, independent CPEng reviewing and verifying the first engineer's design work.
PS3 (Construction) — issued by the contractor, fabricator or installer who physically carried out the work, confirming it was built in accordance with the approved plans and specifications.
PS4 (Construction Review) — a CPEng confirming the work as built matches the design covered by the PS1, usually after construction monitoring.
02
A producer statement has no status under the Building Act.
This is the part most guidance leaves out, and it matters when a consent stalls. Producer statements are not defined anywhere in the Building Act 2004. They are one source of information a building consent authority may rely on to decide there are reasonable grounds that work complies — and accepting one is entirely discretionary.
A BCA may accept a producer statement, decline it, or ask for different evidence altogether. There is no automatic right to have one accepted.
MBIE issued a determination in November 2017 finding no basis in the Building Act for a council to demand a producer statement as a condition of establishing compliance or issuing a Code Compliance Certificate.
Compliance can be demonstrated by other means — inspection records, test results, manufacturer documentation and other evidence the BCA considers reasonable.
In practice councils rely on them heavily, so the pragmatic path is usually to supply one, while knowing an outright demand is not the same as a legal requirement.
03
Not everyone can issue one.
The official forms are controlled, and councils layer their own author-approval policies on top. Supplying a statement from an unapproved author is a common and avoidable cause of a request for information.
The standard forms are published jointly by Engineering New Zealand and ACE New Zealand, and their use is restricted to approved members.
PS1, PS2 and PS4 are engineering opinions and are issued by Chartered Professional Engineers.
PS3 is different — it comes from whoever actually did the building work, not from an engineer.
Several councils operate their own producer statement author policies, so check the policy of the BCA processing your consent before commissioning the work.
04
Collect them while the trades are still on site.
A missing producer statement is usually discovered at Code Compliance Certificate stage, months after the person who should have signed it has finished and moved on. That is the expensive version of this problem.
Identify at consent stage which statements the project will need and who is expected to provide each.
A PS3 is often requested where a council inspection was missed, so track inspections and statements against the same schedule.
Chase statements at the completion of each trade's work rather than at the end of the build.
Keep every statement with the drawing revision it refers to — a statement citing a superseded revision invites a question at CCC.
05
Accuracy is not a formality.
A producer statement is a professional opinion carrying real exposure for whoever signs it. Signing one for work you did not carry out, or did not adequately review, is not a paperwork shortcut.
Only issue a statement covering work you performed or reviewed within your own competence.
Reference the specific drawings, revisions and Building Code clauses relied on rather than the project generally.
Keep the monitoring records, inspection notes or test results that support the statement.
Where scope was limited, say so on the statement instead of leaving the limit unstated.
Confirm the live BCA requirements before you submit.
This independent preparation guide summarises a national starting point. It is not council guidance, a complete project specification, professional advice or a prediction of approval. Property, work type and authority requirements vary.