Today (29th September 2025), Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk announced Cabinet’s proposals for a refocussing of New Zealand’s Earthquake-prone Building (EPB) system.
Today’s announcements are the outcome of the Earthquake-prone Building and Seismic Risk Management Review announced in April 2024.
NZSEE have prepared the below overview and Q&A for members, to help familiarise with the proposals and what they could mean.
Overview of the Government’s EPB Policy Announcement
Please note, that at this stage, the announcement contains proposals only—and an intent to introduce an amendment Bill to parliament as soon as possible. Therefore the proposals are subject to the full legislative process and could change before implementation.
Select Committee hearings are planned for the first half of 2026. NZSEE looks forward to engaging in the Select Committee process alongside Engineering New Zealand and our partner societies, and we encourage members to familiarise themselves with the proposals contained within this announcement, and the detail that is anticipated to follow in the coming months as MBIE work with the government to prepare draft legislation and supporting documents.
The media release and proactive release of the cabinet paper, regulatory impact statement and MBIEs review report are available on the MBIE website.
EPB System Changes – Webinar Recording
A recording from the webinar on the EPB System Changes hosted by Engineering New Zealand on 13 October 2025 is available here.
Slides are available in PDF format here.
