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Auckland will no longer be subject to New Zealand’s earthquake-prone building rules, with the Government refocusing the system to target only areas with genuine seismic risk.
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said in a statement today, September 29, that Auckland, Northland and the Chatham Islands would be removed from the earthquake-prone building system entirely because of their low earthquake risk.
“The current system places an overwhelming financial burden on building owners,” Penk said. “For many, the price of strengthening runs from hundreds of thousands to several million dollars. As a result, buildings are left empty and derelict, making them even more dangerous in an earthquake.”
Under the revised framework, only buildings that present a genuine risk to human life in medium and high seismic zones will be captured. This includes concrete buildings three storeys or higher and those built with unreinforced masonry. Smaller masonry buildings in rural towns will no longer need full remediation, although owners will be required to secure façades before they can be removed from the earthquake-prone register.
“The New Building Standard rating system (NBS) has proven too broad and inconsistent,” Penk said.
“A building’s weakest part can determine its overall risk, meaning even a minor defect can see the whole structure classified as earthquake-prone. That approach is neither fair nor practical.”
The Government will also remove the requirement for owners to upgrade fire safety and disability access alongside seismic strengthening, a rule Penk said had “added significantly to building costs and discouraged essential safety work.”
Local councils will be given the ability to grant extensions to remediation deadlines of up to 15 years.
Penk said the new approach strikes a better balance between cost and safety. “Protecting human life must remain the top priority,” he said. “But strengthening work has to be achievable. These changes will bring enormous relief to building owners, while keeping New Zealanders safe.”
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment estimates the changes will save more than $8.2 billion in remediation and demolition costs nationwide.
A spokesperson for Penk says “we intend on introducing legislation before the end of the year, and want everything in place by about mid-next year.”
