Christchurch City Council says 30% of new buildings recently inspected have failed because they didn't comply with the Building Code.
Government officials say the Christchurch City Council needs to improve its performance to aid the earthquake recovery and to pick up the pace in dealing with consents.
And the council says it accepts a Government order that consents be processed within 14 working days.
Building operations manager Ethan Stetson says if developers discuss their concept with the council early in the process, many potential challenges can be tackled at the outset and that can also save time.
A failure to provide adequate documentation is also holding up some building projects.
Mr Stetson says the council has undergone a review by the Department of Building and Housing, and is working to improve and speed up the process.
But he says the design and build community must also make improvements.
Mr Stetson says technical detail in some consents does not comply with the Building Code, while others simply lack the necessary information.
