Earthquake-Prone Buildings
On 30 September, Central Government has announced that they are reviewing the rules on Earthquake Prone Buildings. Council is still awaiting details on how exactly the new system will work. Until then, the existing EQP rules are still in force. Once the full details are available, Council will reach out to affected building owners directly.
You can read more about the Central Government announcement here.
The national system for managing earthquake-prone buildings in New Zealand came into effect on 1 July 2017. The system affects owners of earthquake-prone buildings, territorial authorities (local councils), engineers, other building professionals and building users.
You can learn more about the system on the building.govt.nz website.
Owners of potentially earthquake-prone commercial and multi-unit residential buildings in the Tararua District have been requested by Tararua District Council to have seismic assessments of their building undertaken, and to provide Council with the assessment reports. This is a required step in the Council’s implementation of the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Act 2016.
The Government has passed the Building (Earthquake-prone Building Deadlines and Other Matters) Amendment Act that extends earthquake-prone building remediation deadlines by 4 years. Territorial authorities are required to promptly re-issue earthquake-prone building notices to these buildings and to update the register of earthquake-prone buildings (the EPB Register).
Buildings that have an earthquake-prone building (EPB) notice with a deadline on or after 2 April 2024 will have a 4-year extension to their notice expiry. There will be an option for the Government to extend up to a further 2 years. This is to allow owners of earthquake-prone buildings additional time to remediate their buildings whilst the review takes place.
The extension does not apply to any EPB notices with an expiry on or prior to 1 April 2024. Council will continue to follow up with owners of buildings with expired EPB notices.
There are plenty of resources available to help you learn more about the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Act 2016:
- Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website:
https://www.building.govt.nz/managing-buildings/managing-earthquake-prone-buildings/ - Tararua District Council Frequently Asked Questions:
https://www.tararuadc.govt.nz/property/building-and-consents/earthquake-prone-buildings/frequently-asked-epb-questions - Confirmed high priority thoroughfares for the Tararua District:
Tararua District high priority thoroughfares (PDF file, 975.9 KB) - Information Booklet:
Helping you to understand the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Act 2016 (PDF file, 802.6 KB) - Identification methodology:
The methodology to identify earthquake-prone buildings (PDF file, 466 KB)
In 2020, public consultation was held to determine high priority thoroughfares in the Tararua District. A public information session was held in The Hub, Dannevirke that covered frequently asked questions about earthquake-prone buildings and the consultation taking place. A recording of this session is available below.
Contact us
We would encourage you (and your neighbouring owners if the building shares any structural elements) to contact Council’s Building Officers for more information on the next steps and the options available - including how to contact a suitably qualified engineer:
- Book an appointment online
- Email us on epb@tararuadc.govt.nz
- Call us on 06 374 4080 or 06 376 0110
- Write to us at PO Box 115, Dannevirke 4942