You have a section, or a house that needs more room, and someone has told you to get plans drawn. They mean well, but you end up more confused than before.
Your builder buddy says a draughtsperson is what you need. Your sister has a different take though, since she hired an architect and still talks about the relatively higher fee. Then a neighbour mentions an architectural designer, another category again.
None of them are wrong, though. Each describes a different level of service, and choosing the right one depends on what you are building.
Quick Summary
The scope is what the draughtsman vs architect question is really about. A draughtsperson focuses on drawing plans for consent and construction, usually after the design is settled. A registered architect runs the whole project and holds a title the Registered Architects Act 2005 protects.
Then standing between them is the architectural designer, a duly licensed LBP or Licensed Building Practitioner who designs and documents your home. For most Dunedin families, what matters most is not the job title itself, but the licence held by the person giving the green light for your drawings.
What’s the Difference Between a Draftsman and an Architect
Simply put, draughtspersons produce technical drawings. Registered architects design buildings and hold a legally protected title. That is the short version.
The law also gives them their distinct roles. Under section 7 of the Registered Architects Act 2005, only someone the New Zealand Registered Architects Board registers may use the title when offering building design services. The Board is equally clear that people who design buildings without registration must use a different title. Most call themselves architectural designers.
Draughtsperson, or draughtsman, is not a protected title. Neither is an architectural designer. Here is how the three roles line up.
| Role | Title protected? | Main job | Can they design restricted building work? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draughtsperson | No | Drawing plans for consent and construction | Only if they hold an LBP design licence |
| Architectural designer | No | Design work plus consent documentation | Only if they hold an LBP design licence |
| Registered architect | Yes, under the Registered Architects Act 2005 | Design through to completed build | Yes, registration carries design LBP status |
What the Law Actually Cares About Is the Licence
The law does not care what your designer calls themselves. It cares whether they hold the right licence, and that matters most on work classed as restricted building work.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, or MBIE, defines restricted building work in two parts. First, the job normally needs a building consent, which means formal approval from your local council. Second, it basically changes your home’s primary structure, its weathertightness, or even certain fire safety design. In short, the parts that hold your house up and keep the weather out.
Both of these are important in any restricted building work. Adding insulation to an external wall needs consent. But it is not restricted building work. The granny flats exemption works differently. Since 15 January 2026, a small standalone dwelling can be built without consent, but only if licensed people carry out the work. So that dwelling still contains restricted building work, consent or no consent.
Where work is restricted, it must be designed by a Licensed Building Practitioner. MBIE lists seven LBP licence classes, and design is one of them. LBP Design 2 covers standard residential work, including most houses, extensions and alterations. Eco Workshop holds ADNZ professional membership and a Licensed Building Practitioner Design 2.
Your designer must also issue a Certificate of Design Work. This includes the restricted building work they designed. It then goes to your local council together with the consent application.
Do I Need an Architect to Build a House?
Usually you don’t need to. You are not expected to hire an architect to build a house in New Zealand. Anyone holding the right LBP design licence can lawfully design one, and registered architects sit inside that same system rather than outside of it.
This surprises people. MBIE automatically licenses registered architects and chartered professional engineers in the design class. So a registered architect designing your home follows the same restricted building work rules as an LBP Design 2 architectural designer. Both issue the same Certificate of Design Work.
Complexity is what the higher fee buys. On a standard house, that is not much.
Some jobs need project management across a team of structural engineers and other consultants. That is work an architect is set up to run. On a steep Otago section with retaining walls, the conversation is worth having.
For a family home in Mosgiel, a licensed architectural designer can help. They can also help with a needed extension in Maori Hill, for example. They can help fix a cold villa, too.
Nothing about a standard house requires an architect. Before you choose an architect or a designer, ask how much design input you want on how the rooms work, and whether you need interior design alongside the drawings.
When You Need Drawings, and When You Need a Design
Your real choice is not draughtsman or architect. Ask instead how much design work your project still needs.
Not getting it right from the start may cost you more eventually. The Licensed Building Practitioners scheme reminds homeowners that not meeting your obligations can bring a court fine of up to $50,000. More commonly, it means a stalled consent or a notice to fix. This then remains on your property file.
| Your situation | What you probably need |
|---|---|
| Design is settled, you need consent documentation | Draughting |
| You know roughly what you want, not how it works on the site | Architectural design, then draughting |
| Starting from a blank page on a tricky site | Full design process |
| Large, complex or commercial building | Registered architect |
| You want a fixed price and a single team | Design and build |
Draughting is the documentation stage. That work turns a settled design into floor plans, elevations, sections, construction details and a written specification. If you already have a concept from another designer, draughting services may be all that you need.
Design work at this kind of level ensures that you make the most out of your home. Simply, it is a human-first design. The following are some of the things you need to take into account in designing your home:
- Where the sun lands in July
- How the new room meets the old roof
- Can you move a wall?
Eco Workshop runs four stages: Preliminary, Concept Design, Developed Design, then Detailed Design and Documentation. Draughting sits in that last stage. Our architectural process page covers each one.
If you have a specific budget in mind, Your Way Home, the studio’s sister company, puts design and construction under one fixed price.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it draughtsman or draftsman?
Both are correct, and both mean the same job. Draughtsman follows British and New Zealand spelling; draftsman is the American counterpart. Neither signals anything about qualification. Draughtsperson is also gender-free.
What is a draftsman?
A draftsman produces technical drawings that a builder and a council can work from. That means floor plans, elevations, sections, construction details and the written specification. Design decisions are usually settled before the drawings start. The title is not protected, so what matters is whether the person holds an LBP design licence.
Do I need a draftsman or architect for a renovation?
Neither, necessarily. What matters is the licence, not the title. If the renovation needs consent and touches your home’s structure or weathertightness, it is restricted building work and must be designed by someone holding an LBP design licence. An architectural designer with LBP Design 2 covers most renovation projects.
Can I get consent through draftsman plans?
Yes, provided the person who prepared them holds the right licence. Councils assess drawings against the Building Code, not the job title on the letterhead. Where restricted building work is involved, a Licensed Building Practitioner must also sign a Certificate of Design Work for the application.
What questions should I ask a draughtsperson?
Ask which LBP licence class they hold, whether they will lodge the consent for you, and who handles the RFI if one arrives. An RFI is a Request for Further Information, a council query that pauses your application until it is answered. Knowing who deals with it saves time later.
Not Sure Which One Your Project Needs?
Some projects need the full design process. Others just need the drawings done properly, and plenty sit somewhere in between.
Eco Workshop can help you sort it through, without the pressure of committing right away. The studio designs and signs off restricted building work under LBP Design 2. It also handles the Dunedin City Council submission and any questions that come back.
Call (03) 455 1505 or come in to 31e Stafford Street. First conversations are free, with no obligation.
For more on qualifications, see our architectural designer vs architect guide.
References
Licensed Building Practitioners. (2025). When you need an LBP. https://www.lbp.govt.nz/for-homeowners/when-you-need-an-lbp/
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. (2026). Restricted building work (RBW). https://www.building.govt.nz/projects-and-consents/planning-a-successful-build/scope-and-design/choosing-the-right-people-for-your-type-of-building-work/use-licensed-professionals-for-restricted-building-work/restricted-building-work
New Zealand Registered Architects Board. (n.d.). Background information. https://www.nzrab.nz/c/BAckground-Information