Tohu
Canterbury · 2026

Consent, resolved before you lodge.

Tohu tells you what the council will ask, before you ask the council. Lodge once. Build sooner.

Join the pilot → Our approach
Christchurch
Aotearoa New Zealand
Six in ten consent applications come back with questions. Most of them didn't have to.
64.6%

of building consent applications receive a request for information.

25days

median time for a consent with a request, against six without one.

86%

of those requests trace back to the application itself.

MBIE 2025 · BRANZ
Our approach

Your site, understood in full.

Every consent is decided by the ground it sits on and the rules that apply to it. Tohu brings all of it into one clear view, and tells you what matters for your section.

i.

Know before you lodge

See how your application is likely to land, and why, while there is still time to change it.

ii.

Answer the questions first

The items a council is likely to raise, set out plainly, so they are dealt with in the first submission.

iii.

Build sooner

Fewer rounds with the council, fewer idle weeks on site, and a cleaner path to your start date.

The Canterbury pilot

A small group of builders will shape what we launch.

  • Early access, free during the pilot
  • Direct input into what we build first
  • A founder you can call
Three minutes

Tell us how consenting really goes.

Your answers decide what we build first. Finish, and you are on the pilot list.

About youYour projectsWhat would helpEarly access
0 / 13
01What best describes you?
Builder|Architectural designer or draughtsperson|Architect|Engineer|Developer|Other
02Who prepares the consent application and answers the council's questions?
Me or my team|Our designer or architect|An outside consultant|It varies
03How big is your team?
1 to 4|5 to 9|10 to 49|50+
04Which councils do you lodge with?
Christchurch City|Selwyn|Waimakariri|Ashburton|Timaru|Other Canterbury|Outside Canterbury
05How many building consents do you lodge a year?
1 to 5|6 to 15|16 to 50|51+
06In the last year, how many of your consents came back with a request for information?
None|Under a quarter|About a quarter to half|Half to three quarters|Almost all
07How much time does a request usually add?
Under a week|1 to 2 weeks|3 to 4 weeks|5 weeks or more
08Roughly what does that delay cost you on a project?
Under $1k|$1k to $5k|$5k to $20k|$20k+|Not sure
09What are the requests usually about?
Missing documents|Geotech or foundations|Stormwater or drainage|Bracing or wind|Producer statements|Setbacks, coverage or height|Fire|Other
10How do you check an application before lodging today?
Planning consultant|Engineer|Council pre-application meeting|In-house checklist|Experience|Nothing formal
11How valuable would it be to know, before lodging, what the council is likely to ask?
1|2|3|4|5
Not at allEssential
12How would you prefer to pay for it?
Per project|Monthly subscription|Company plan|I wouldn't pay
13A fair price for one project?
Under $50|$50 to $150|$150 to $300|$300+
14Would you try Tohu on your next consent, free?
Yes|Maybe|No
15How did you hear about Tohu?
Industry association|LinkedIn|Email|Trade store|Colleague|Other
16Where can we reach you about the pilot?

Your answers are used only by Tohu to shape the product and the pilot. Never shared or sold. To have them removed, write to hello@tohuhq.nz.