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3: Purposes
or “This law explains why we have rules for building things, to keep people safe and healthy when using buildings.”
You could also call this:

“This section explains the rules people must follow when making decisions about buildings to keep everyone safe and happy.”

When you are in charge of anything to do with buildings, you need to think about some important things. These things help make sure buildings are safe and work well for everyone.

You need to think about how important homes are to people. The building code has rules about homes, and you need to make sure homes follow these rules. You also need to make sure it’s not too hard for people to look after their homes, and that they know how to do it.

You need to make sure buildings don’t make people sick. This means thinking about the things used to build them, how they’re built, and how they’re designed.

Buildings need to last a long time and be strong enough for what they’re used for. You also need to think about any special cultural things about how a building will be used.

It’s important to think about how much a building will cost to build and look after for its whole life. You need to make sure the things used to build it, and how it’s built, meet the rules in the building code. But you also need to let people come up with new ideas for building things.

You need to make sure firefighters and rescue workers can stay safe when they go into a building. You also need to stop fires from spreading to other buildings or property.

Buildings need to be easy for people with disabilities to use. You need to think about saving old buildings that are important to our history and culture.

You should try to make buildings use less energy and water, and use energy from renewable sources when you can. When building, you should try to use less stuff and make less waste.

Everyone involved in building - like the owners, designers, builders, and the people who check the buildings - need to do their part to make sure the building follows all the rules and has the right approvals.

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Next up: 5: Overview

or “This section explains what the different parts of the Building Act are about and how they work together.”
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Part 1 Preliminary provisions
General: Purpose and principles

4Principles to be applied in performing functions or duties, or exercising powers, under this Act

  1. This section applies to—

  2. the Minister; and
    1. the chief executive; and
      1. a territorial authority or regional authority (but only to the extent that the territorial authority or regional authority is performing functions or duties, or exercising powers, under subpart 6A of Part 2 (which relates to earthquake-prone buildings) or in relation to the grant of waivers or modifications of the building code or the adoption and review of policy on dangerous and insanitary buildings or dangerous dams); and
        1. in subpart 6B of Part 2,—
          1. a person who may designate an area for the purposes of that subpart:
            1. a responsible person as defined in section 133BB(1).

            2. In achieving the purpose of this Act, a person to whom this section applies must take into account the following principles that are relevant to the performance of functions or duties imposed, or the exercise of powers conferred, on that person by this Act:

            3. when dealing with any matter relating to 1 or more household units,—
              1. the role that household units play in the lives of the people who use them, and the importance of—
                1. the building code as it relates to household units; and
                  1. the need to ensure that household units comply with the building code:
                  2. the need to ensure that maintenance requirements of household units are reasonable:
                    1. the desirability of ensuring that owners of household units are aware of the maintenance requirements of their household units:
                    2. the need to ensure that any harmful effect on human health resulting from the use of particular building products, building methods, or building designs, or from building work, is prevented or minimised:
                      1. the importance of ensuring that each building is durable for its intended use:
                        1. the importance of recognising any special traditional and cultural aspects of the intended use of a building:
                          1. the costs of a building (including maintenance) over the whole of its life:
                            1. the importance of standards of building products, building methods, and building designs in achieving compliance with the building code:
                              1. the importance of allowing for continuing innovation in building products, building methods, and building designs:
                                1. the reasonable expectations of a person who is authorised by law to enter a building to undertake rescue operations or firefighting to be protected from injury or illness when doing so:
                                  1. the need to provide protection to limit the extent and effects of the spread of fire, particularly with regard to—
                                    1. household units (whether on the same land or on other property); and
                                      1. other property:
                                      2. the need to provide for the protection of other property from physical damage resulting from the construction, use, and demolition of a building:
                                        1. the need to provide, both to and within buildings to which section 118 applies, facilities that ensure that reasonable and adequate provision is made for persons with disabilities to enter and carry out normal activities and processes in a building:
                                          1. the need to facilitate the preservation of buildings of significant cultural, historical, or heritage value:
                                            1. the need to facilitate the efficient use of energy and energy conservation and the use of renewable sources of energy in buildings:
                                              1. the need to facilitate the efficient and sustainable use in buildings of—
                                                1. building products (including building products that promote or support human health); and
                                                  1. material conservation:
                                                  2. the need to facilitate the efficient use of water and water conservation in buildings:
                                                    1. the need to facilitate the reduction in the generation of waste during the construction process.
                                                      1. the need to ensure that owners, designers, builders, and building consent authorities are each accountable for their role in ensuring that—
                                                        1. the necessary building consents and other approvals are obtained for proposed building work; and
                                                          1. plans and specifications are sufficient to result in building work that (if built to those plans and specifications) complies with the building code; and
                                                            1. building work for which a building consent is issued complies with that building consent; and
                                                              1. building work for which a building consent is not required complies with the building code.

                                                              Compare
                                                                Notes
                                                                • Section 4(1)(c): amended, on , by section 4 of the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 22).
                                                                • Section 4(1)(d): inserted, on , by section 4 of the Building Amendment Act 2019 (2019 No 27).
                                                                • Section 4(2)(b): amended, on , by section 4(1) of the Building (Building Products and Methods, Modular Components, and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021 (2021 No 21).
                                                                • Section 4(2)(f): amended, on , by section 4(2) of the Building (Building Products and Methods, Modular Components, and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021 (2021 No 21).
                                                                • Section 4(2)(g): amended, on , by section 4(3) of the Building (Building Products and Methods, Modular Components, and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021 (2021 No 21).
                                                                • Section 4(2)(k): amended, on , by section 5 of the Building Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 4).
                                                                • Section 4(2)(n)(i): amended, on , by section 4(4) of the Building (Building Products and Methods, Modular Components, and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021 (2021 No 21).
                                                                • Section 4(2)(q): inserted, on , by section 5 of the Building Amendment Act 2012 (2012 No 23).