Why a Producer Statement Is More Than a Signature
- Mar 6, 2025
- 3 min read
On most building projects, there is a document few people think about until it matters: the producer statement. It can be the document a council relies on when deciding whether to issue a Code Compliance Certificate, and recent court decisions have made clear that it is not a formality.
For anyone relying on one, whether you are a developer waiting on a CCC, a project manager closing out a build, an architect coordinating consultants, or a council reviewing the evidence, it is worth understanding what a producer statement does and what makes one sound.
Producer statements are professional certifications that a specific part of a building’s design or construction has been reviewed against the Building Code and approved consent requirements. There are four main types, and they broadly map to different stages of a project. A PS1 certifies design, a PS2 records independent design review, a PS3 certifies construction or installation work, and a PS4 certifies construction review.
The PS4 often carries particular weight in practice because it may be one of the final pieces of evidence a council relies on when deciding whether to issue a Code Compliance Certificate. In other words, it can be the document standing between a finished building and its final sign-off.
That weight is why accuracy matters. The Court of Appeal has confirmed that issuing a PS4 following construction monitoring can give rise to liability under section 40 of the Building Act 2004 where it relates to non-compliant building work. The Bella Vista Homes case in Tauranga brought this into sharp focus: producer statements are not routine paperwork. They are professional certifications with real legal consequences.
For everyone relying on one, the practical point is simple: a producer statement is only as good as the work behind it. A PS4 issued without proper monitoring, records and verification can be challenged later. When that happens, it can affect compliance, delay or jeopardise a CCC, and pull parties into dispute long after the project was thought to be finished.
What separates a sound producer statement from a risky one is how the engineer works. Sound practice means inspecting at the critical stages of construction, not just signing off at the end. It means keeping proper records, including notes, photographs, test results and correspondence. It means verifying compliance independently rather than relying only on assurances from others.
It also means professional independence. A good engineer will hold the line against pressure to sign off prematurely to keep a programme moving. For a developer or project manager, that can feel like friction at the time, but it is what makes the eventual certification stand up.
That is how we approach producer statements at Cook Costello. When we issue one, we stand behind it. We monitor construction at the stages that matter, document what we have seen, and certify only what we have verified.
We would rather have the conversation about non-compliance during construction, when it can still be fixed, than discover it at sign-off or after. For the people relying on the certificate, including the council, owner and future purchaser, that rigour is what gives the document its value and protects the project’s path to a Code Compliance Certificate.
If you have a project approaching construction or sign-off and want an engineering team that treats producer statements with the seriousness they carry, talk to us.