Harsher quake strengthening rules kick in

Owners of Wellington’s 720 quakeprone buildings now face tighter deadlines for completing their assessment and strengthening work.

Previously, owners were given up to 20 years to strengthen but, as of July 1, legislation requires assessments to be completed within five years, and strengthening work within 15 years.

Some of the city’s school and hospital buildings may be facing even stricter deadlines, with provisions in the new regulations allowing deadlines to be cut to 71⁄2-years.

The new rules cover all commercial properties, as well as residential properties of two storeys or taller that contain three or more household units. Private homes are not affected.

As one of the cities deemed as high risk, Wellington is subject to the strictest deadlines. Mediumrisk areas, which include Hamilton and Nelson, now require assessments within 10 years, and upgrades within 25, while deadlines for low-risk areas, such as Auckland, will sit at 15 years for assessment and 35 for upgrading.

Wellington City Council resilience manager Steve Cody said some school buildings in the city had earthquake-prone notices but he wasn’t able to say how many might be affected by the change.

‘‘I know a number of schools are going through and strengthening their buildings,’’ he said. ‘‘The Ministry of Education has been very proactive.’’

Regarding hospital buildings, Cody said staff had to ascertain whether the building was involved in the delivery of care before knowing whether a stricter strengthening deadline would be imposed.

The legislation also allows shorter deadlines for buildings with unsecured masonry facades that sit on busy roads.

Council resilience officer Mike Mendonca said public consultation would be undertaken to identify those routes early next year.

Last year, the council identified 106 masonry buildings in the CBD, Kilbirnie, Newtown and Island Bay that would be required to have their facades secured by no later than April next year.

Mendonca said all of those building owners had been contacted but only a very small number had undertaken work. The majority were working with engineers on developing solutions.

‘‘To date, no owners have expressed an unwillingness to complete work if it’s required.’’

New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering president Peter Smith said demand for structural engineers was high since the November earthquakes, but the new deadlines were achievable with the current workforce.

Acting Wellington Mayor Paul Eagle said the city was well ahead of the curve on earthquake strengthening. ‘‘The good news is that the vast majority of the earthquake-prone building notices have already been issued for our city, so owners know how long they have to strengthen their buildings.’’

Building and Construction Minister Nick Smith, who officially launched the new regulations at St Mary of the Angels church in Wellington yesterday, said the Government was exploring assistance options for multi-unit complexes, where some parties may struggle to raise the money for their share of strengthening costs.

There was also flexibility to add 10 years to the timetable for registered heritage buildings, and exempt buildings with low risk and low usage.

‘‘We cannot completely eliminate the risk to life from quakes but, just as modern cars are safer in an accident, modern buildings are safer in a quake,’’ Smith said.

‘‘These new laws involve an uncomfortable and inevitable trade-off between safety and cost, but will save hundreds of lives in future quakes when fully implemented.’’

‘‘The good news is that the vast majority of the earthquake-prone building notices have already been issued for our city, so owners know how long they have to strengthen their buildings.’’

Paul Eagle, acting Wellington mayor