BRiDGE

Building Resilience in Design Guidance for Engineering (BRiDGE) is a cross-agency programme focused on strengthening New Zealand’s engineering system by developing clear, practical and consistent engineering guidance.

What is BRiDGE?

Building Resilience in Design Guidance for Engineering (BRiDGE) is a two-year, multi-agency initiative designed to improve how engineering guidance is developed, coordinated and applied in New Zealand.

The programme will:

Prioritise, commission and publish high-quality engineering guidance
Support consistent interpretation and application of the performance-based Building Code
Focus on areas of national importance to resilience, safety and performance
Develop guidance through a coordinated, cross-agency approach
Lay the foundation for a sustainable, long-term guidance model

Who’s involved?

BRiDGE is a collaboration between Engineering NZ, government agencies and industry:

Engineering New Zealand (host organisation)
Government agencies, comprised of:
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
Natural Hazards Commission (NHC) Toka Tū Ake
Industry (tech societies and other industry groups), including:
SESOC
NZSEE
NZGS
BETS
QuakeCoRE
NHRP (National Science Challenge)

As the host organisation, Engineering New Zealand is coordinating the delivery of BRiDGE and we will partner with our technical groups and research organisations to develop consistent, practical design guidance.

Why BRiDGE?

New Zealand’s engineering sector faces growing challenges—such as climate adaptation, evolving understanding of seismic hazards and increasing infrastructure demands. High-quality, evidence-based guidance is critical to meet these challenges.

However, the current project-by-project approach across the sector has led to duplicated efforts, inconsistent outputs and missed opportunities.

BRiDGE changes that. By bringing agencies and the profession together under a unified programme, BRiDGE will:

Enable more efficient use of funding and expertise
Deliver nationally aligned guidance that builds on international development and reflects best practice
Support smooth adoption of new science into engineering design (e.g. National Seismic Hazard Model)
Provide a clear pathway for translating research into real-world solutions

How it works

BRiDGE will identify and prioritise candidate topics through a structured governance process, supported by:

Technical input from engineering societies
Ongoing consultation with practitioners and sector experts

Guidance outputs will include:

Clear and consolidated engineering guidance documents
Supporting resources where appropriate (e.g. tools, templates, training material)

The initial programme will run for two years, with the intent to continue and grow the work through a sustainable long-term model, subject to review.

Stay connected

As BRiDGE progresses, we’ll be sharing updates, guidance releases and opportunities to engage.

SEARCH