Today Tararua District Council Chief Executive Malcolm Alexander congratulated Building and Construction Minister, Chris Penk, for reviewing the current Earthquake Prone Buildings system.

“In the Tararua District, we have 107 buildings currently listed as earthquake-prone, many of them heritage buildings.”

“For building owners, the prospect of lower strengthening costs will come as real relief. These new rules strike a fairer balance between the cost of strengthening and the actual level of risk, making the work more achievable for building owners.”

On the 29^th of September, Government announced major changes to New Zealand’s earthquake-prone building system. Minister Penk said, “the new approach is aimed at lowering costs for building owners and helping to revitalise communities while keeping Kiwis safe.”

Council is still awaiting details on how exactly the new system will work.

Once the full details are available, Council will reach out to affected building owners directly to explain how the new rules will benefit them.

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Read the latest media release from Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment:

https://www.mbie.govt.nz/about/news/earthquake-prone-building-system-changes-announced

Read the comments from Chris Penk on the Beehive website:

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/earthquake-prone-building-system-refocused%C2%A0