The Government recently announced the changes they intend to make to the earthquake prone building system. The changes will see the system move to a more proportionate and risk-based system – targeting high-risk building types and focusing on buildings most vulnerable to earthquakes.
These changes are significant, and members are already getting questions from their clients. To keep you up to date as the policy progresses, this webpage will provide the latest information and what it means for the engineering profession.
A summary of the changes
The New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE) has developed a summary of the key changes proposed and key consultation and legislative process/timings. The document highlights what the proposed changes could mean for owners of earthquake-prone buildings, and what it could mean for engineers engaged in EPB and non-EPB seismic assessment, risk communication, and retrofit design.
Webinars presented by MBIE to support engineers
To support the industry and ensure engineers understand the proposed change to the EPB system, we are working with MBIE to deliver a series of webinars as they develop the policy.
The first webinar took place on Monday 13 October and had over 1200 participants. Chris Hubscher (Principal Policy Advisor) and Ken Elwood (MBIE-NHC Chief Engineer) explained the announcements and the steps ahead as we move toward Select Committee and eventually implementation.
If you missed this session, you can find the recording below.
The slides during the webinar can be found here | 2.5 MB
This was the first in a series of webinars on this topic - we'll continue to ensure you hear from the experts as the policy development progresses.
More information available on MBIE website
You can read more detailed information on the proposed changes on the MBIE website – which outlines the proposed changes and provides links to the Cabinet paper, reports, and supporting analysis.
