Hon Jenny Salesa Minister for Building and Construction Hon Kris Faafoi Minister of Civil Defence 12 September 2018 PĀNUI PĀPĀHO MEDIA STATEMENT

Building Amendment Bill introduces new powers to manage building risks

A Bill to better manage buildings in order to keep people safe during and after emergencies has passed its First Reading in Parliament today.

“The Building Amendment Bill proposes new powers to address risks to people and property from buildings during and after an emergency,” says Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa.

“The contents of this Bill are drawn from sources including the findings of the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission, experiences from recent emergencies, and consultation that took place across government with stakeholders and the public.

“The Bill also includes special provisions for carrying out works on heritage buildings, to ensure that heritage values are protected.”

Minister of Civil Defence Hon Kris Faafoi welcomed the new measures.

“This Bill provides greater clarity on roles and responsibilities in relation to managing buildings in an emergency, and a smooth transition between the emergency powers in the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002 and the proposed powers,” says Mr Faafoi.

Ms Salesa acknowledged the input of all parties who had enabled a comprehensive Bill and a sensible approach in two main areas: • New emergency management powers, as part of an end-to-end process for managing buildings from response through to recovery, following a significant emergency. These powers will allow territorial authorities to inspect, evacuate, restrict entry to, or carry out works on buildings, and can be used to manage buildings whether or not a state of emergency or transition period is in force.

• The central building regulator, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, gets a clear set of powers to investigate significant building failures. MBIE has investigated six major building failures to date – Southland Stadium, Forsyth Barr building, Pyne Gould Corporation building, Hotel Grand Chancellor, Canterbury Television building and Statistics House – but has relied on the cooperation of building owners and incomplete information.

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