How we read a builder's public record.
The CheckMyBuilder Trust Index is not a star rating. It's a plain-English explanation of the five factors we look at on every New Zealand builder — and exactly where each factor comes from, so anyone can audit it themselves.
Five questions we ask of every NZ company.
A homeowner shouldn't need to read court filings or Gazette notices to know if a builder is safe to hire. These are the same five questions used by businesses that vet companies for a living — translated into plain language and pulled from named, official sources.
Solvency status
Is the company actually solvent right now? We check the official register and the NZ Gazette for current liquidation, receivership, voluntary administration, or recent statutory demands. This is the single most important fact a homeowner needs before paying a deposit.
Source: NZ Companies Register · NZ Gazette
Court & regulator findings
Has a court, tribunal or regulator found against this company or its directors? Disputes Tribunal orders, court judgments, fines, convictions, upheld complaints and licence cancellations from authority sources — never gossip or social posts.
Source: Disputes Tribunal · Courts of NZ · MBIE · WorkSafe · Commerce Commission
Director track record
The people behind the company carry their history with them. We look across the whole NZ Companies Register at every other company the same directors have run — and surface a pattern of failed, removed or liquidated companies that one company on its own can hide.
Source: NZ Companies Register (cross-company)
Media & adverse coverage
We sweep New Zealand's mainstream news for adverse coverage — abandoned jobs, deposit losses, court reporting — restricted to trusted NZ outlets and official notices, never bare social-media posts.
Source: NZ Herald · Stuff · RNZ · NBR · Newsroom · BusinessDesk · others
Filing compliance
Is the company keeping its annual returns up to date? Overdue filings are quiet — they don't make headlines — but they're often an early sign a company is starting to slip.
Source: NZ Companies Register · annual returns
Four rules we don't break.
Facts before opinions
Every signal on a report cites the source and the date. Nothing is invented; nothing is anonymous.
No invented risk
Most NZ builders are clean — and the report says so plainly when that's the case. We don't manufacture concern to make a sale.
Never named individuals
We report what a company's directors are connected to in aggregate. We don't publish individuals' personal details or make accusations against named people.
Regularly re-checked
Yesterday's clean record can change overnight. Verified builders are re-checked regularly against the public record.
What this is not.
Not a workmanship rating
Whether a builder finishes a kitchen on time is not something the official record can tell you. Always check references and visit recent jobs.
Not legal or financial advice
It's an organised view of public information to help you ask better questions — not a substitute for a lawyer, accountant or building inspector.
Not a guarantee
Public records reflect what's been reported and recorded. New issues can emerge overnight. That's exactly why we re-check, and why BuildWatch exists for the period that matters most.
Not crowd-sourced reviews
We don't host or solicit reviews. We deal in sourced facts, dates and links — things that can't be gamed by a fake account.
Now put it to work.
Three things you can do right now — all free except the deep report.
The Trust Index is descriptive of CheckMyBuilder's own methodology. It is not a legal certification or an industry standard, and the information shown is not legal, financial or building advice. Always verify with official sources before making a decision.