Update on the Building and Construction Sector (Strengthening Occupational Licensing Regimes) Amendment Bill

In December 2025 we shared an update on the Strengthening Occupational Licensing Regimes (SOLR) Bill.

Read our December article:

Building and Construction Sector (Strengthening Occupational Licensing Regimes) Amendment Bill

The Bill has now been considered by the Transport and Infrastructure Committee, which has reported back to Parliament and recommended that the Bill be passed.

What the Committee found

The Committee received submissions and examined the Bill in detail. It supported the Bill’s overall purpose of strengthening complaints, investigation and disciplinary processes, and lifting standards of conduct and competence across the building and construction sector.

It also recommended amendments aimed at clarifying how the framework would work in practice and improving consistency between licensing regimes.

What this means for LBPs

The Bill is focused on how conduct and competence concerns are raised, assessed and addressed. It is not about changing the technical building requirements or the Building Code.

Some of the key proposed changes include:

• clearer responsibilities for the Registrar, investigators and decision-makers when a complaint is made
• more consistent investigation and disciplinary processes across different licensing schemes
• a greater emphasis on professional conduct and competence, alongside public safety
• increased transparency, including the use of public disciplinary hearings where appropriate.

What happens next

The Bill will return to Parliament for its second reading and the remaining stages of the legislative process. If it is passed, some changes are proposed to start shortly after Royal assent, while others would start later to allow supporting rules and regulations to be updated.

No immediate changes take effect at this stage. If the Bill is passed, we’ll share what’s changing, when it applies, and what it means for LBPs.