The Government has passed the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Bill, shifting the earthquake prone building system to one that is more proportionate and risk-based – targeting high-risk building types and focusing on buildings most vulnerable to earthquakes.
The new EPB system will commence from 1 July 2027. Read the Government’s announcement here.
A summary of the changes
- Seismic zones have been updated. The EPB system will no longer apply in Auckland, the Chatham Islands and the upper North Island low seismic zone. Parts of Dunedin, coastal Otago and Stewart Island that were previously in a low seismic zone will move to a medium seismic zone. This document details the changes by location.
- From 1 July 2027, only buildings in medium and high seismic zones will be able to be designated EPBs. To be classified as an EPB, a building must be:
- made of unreinforced masonry; or
- made of heavy materials (for example, concrete) and 3 storeys or taller.
- All other buildings will no longer be designated as EPBs and will be removed from the EPB Register from 1 July 2027.
- There will be three types of strengthening requirements for EPBs. Which requirement applies depends on the type of building, where it is located, and whether it is in an urban area or smaller town. The three types are:
- Register and display EPB sign.
- Façade risk mitigation.
- Targeted retrofit.
Further information
- More information about the changes can be found on the MBIE website.
- The EPB legislation can be viewed on Parliament's website.
- Read our News and Insights article about the new legislation.
Our position on the changes
Throughout the process, Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau has broadly supported reviewing and updating the legislation so that we can make strengthening buildings a cheaper, faster, more achievable and sustainable process.
Moving away from a “one size fits all” system pivots the regime towards targeting and prioritising higher-risk areas and buildings that pose the greatest life-safety risk, which is a common-sense approach. However, we remain concerned about key aspects of the legislation, and which we continue to believe warrant further consideration. Our key concerns are outlined here.
Previous submissions – how we’ve advocated for the profession
Engineering New Zealand submitted on the Bill and appeared in person before the Transport and Infrastructure Committee to give an oral submission. You can read our submission here. The New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE) and the Structural Engineering Society New Zealand (SESOC) also submitted on the Bill and appeared before the select committee.
Watch the oral submissions before the select committee here (each link jumps directly to the submission start time):
Get involved
We welcome your input to help shape our responses. If you're interested in getting involved, please get in touch with us at advocacy@engineeringnz.org.
