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.
ends