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A powerful new housing and development agency is said to be ramping up the pressure on council building consent teams.
Kainga Ora, which is the successor to Housing New Zealand and expects to get many more powers this year, is setting up its own consenting authority.
It has been offering salaries between $10,000 and $30,000 above what councils pay - though Kainga Ora says its jobs carry national responsibility.
The Wellington City Council says it has had to increase what it pays building staff, partly in response, and that will nudge consenting fees up.
The Auckland Council lost 18 staff to Kainga Ora late last year, before councils went to the agency in protest two months ago.
The president of Society of Local Government Management, Phil Wilson, says the disruptions are unwanted.