Public consultation open for timber standards NZS 3640 and NZS 3602

A second round of public consultation on the draft revisions of NZS 3640:2003 Preservation of timber and wood-based products (DZ 3640) and NZS 3602:2003 Timber and wood based products for use in buildings (DZ 3602) has opened. Individuals, organisations, and the wider building and construction sector are encouraged to have their say on the drafts. Public consultation fts will close for feedback on 23 August, 2019.

An initial draft of DZ 3640 was sent out for public comment in December 2017, which attracted 707 submissions for consideration by the committee. A draft of DZ 3602 was released for public comment at the same time – attracting over 1,000 comments.

The committees for both standards met on multiple occasions to consider all the submissions received. As a result, there are now significant changes proposed to both DZ 3640 and DZ 3602.

Standards New Zealand and both committees are not seeking submissions already covered in the first round of public comment. These have been considered at length and any changes are included in this second public comment draft. However, feedback is being actively sought on the proposed changes made to each draft since the last round of public consultation.

The key changes are summarised at the start of each document, which are available to view and download here(external link).

Public consultation is an important step in the standards development process. The P3640 and P3602 committees are responsible for ensuring that each submission is considered and a decision is made by the full committee on each submission. Standards New Zealand is responsible for ensuring that the committees discharge this role.

For more information on the standards development process, read here(external link).