LGNZ supports exempting farm buildings from earthquake-prone changes

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) welcomes the exemption of farm buildings from proposed changes under the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Bill.

LGNZ President Lawrence Yule says LGNZ has advocated for a more risk-based approach and has expressed concern about the impacts of aspects of the Amendment, particularly for rural and provincial communities.

“We believe that these changes should prioritise buildings and parts of the country where risk is the greatest, where consequences to life and the economy of a damaging earthquake would be significant, locally and nationally,” Mr Yule says.

“The economic impact of these proposals could be significant for the regions.”

LGNZ is working with Government on earthquake prone buildings. Dialogue with Minister Smith is on-going and a technical working group has been established.

“The aim should be to maximise the overall fitness and resilience of communities to handle disruption from earthquakes with a focus on communities that face a higher risk and parts of buildings that are least likely to perform well,” Mr Yule says.

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