Answers to the questions we hear most.

We need current information related to your project such as architectural plans and geotechnical report for the site. Based on these we should be able to tell you how to proceed.

The proposed reforms to the Earthquake Prone Building (EPB) system cover seven areas:

1. Narrowing the scope of captured buildings — only unreinforced masonry (URM) and high-risk 3+ storey buildings of heavy construction (generally concrete) stay in the system; others, including 1–2 storey timber-framed buildings, are removed and have their EPB status revoked.

2. Refocusing geographic seismic zones — obligations target medium and high seismic zones; EPBs in low zones (Auckland, Northland and the Chatham Islands) leave the system, while Coastal Otago is reclassified from low to medium.

3. Scrapping the %NBS metric — %NBS is dropped for identifying EPBs; instead URM buildings are automatically deemed earthquake-prone and 3+ storey concrete buildings are assessed with a new targeted retrofit methodology.

4. Proportionate mitigation requirements — the blanket 34%NBS remediation rule is replaced by a spectrum, from risk-register-only through façade securing and targeted retrofit up to full retrofit, based on the building’s risk, type and location.

5. Lowering costs and reducing compliance barriers — seismic-only consents no longer trigger mandatory fire and accessibility upgrades, a change of use need only meet the EPB requirement, and owners can apply for deadline extensions of up to a cumulative 15 years.

6. Refining “priority building” status — the halved remediation timeframe no longer applies by building use (such as hospitals or fire stations), and is limited to URM that could fall onto high-traffic thoroughfares or block emergency-services routes.

7. Narrowing the “identify at any time” pathway — Territorial Authorities’ ability to declare a building earthquake-prone is restricted to post-1976 3+ storey heavy buildings and requires authorisation from the MBIE Chief Executive.

This statement is issued by a design professional (often an engineer) who has reviewed the construction work. PS4s provide evidence of compliance, which is often necessary for obtaining a Code Compliance Certificate (CCC) from the local council.

We need 1) approved building consent plans, 2) the Form 5 from the approved building consent, and 3) to carry out inspections of the structural elements while they are visible and accessible.