An official report shows two-thirds of councils surveyed are doing substandard safety checks on buildings.
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The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said 16 out of the 23 councils it surveyed have building warrant of fitness systems that are below par.
Building warrants of fitness include sprinklers, emergency lighting and other crucial safety systems.
Read the latest MBIE report, and the previous MBIE report for comparison
Two-thirds of the councils had not issued an infringement notice to a building owner since 2012.
The ministry said this shows some are 'overly customer-friendly'.
And it said two-thirds of the councils are doing inadequate audits of buildings approved by non-council inspectors.
The ministry said it will be increasing its push for compliance.