Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Building Act 2004

Review of building code

Schedule 2: Buildings in respect of which requirement for provision of access and facilities for persons with disabilities applies

You could also call this:

"Buildings that must be accessible to people with disabilities"

Illustration for Building Act 2004

You need to know which buildings must provide access and facilities for people with disabilities. The Building Act 2004 says this applies to many types of buildings. These include transport terminals, public toilets, and banks. You will also find these requirements in childcare centres, schools, and universities, as stated in s 118(2). Hospitals, libraries, and places of worship are included too. Other buildings like shops, restaurants, and sports stadiums must also provide access and facilities. These rules apply to many buildings that the public can enter, whether they have to pay or not. This is to make sure everyone can use these buildings, no matter what their abilities are.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM309341.

Topics:
Rights and equality > Anti-discriminationHealth and wellbeing > Public healthHousing and property > Home safety and repairsHousing and property > Land use
Previous

Schedule 1: Building work for which building consent not required, or

"Building work that does not need a consent"

Next

Schedule 3: Further provisions applying to Board, or

"Rules for Being on the Board"

2Buildings in respect of which requirement for provision of access and facilities for persons with disabilities applies Empowered by s 118(2)

The buildings in respect of which the requirement for the provision of access and facilities for persons with disabilities apply are, without limitation, as follows:

  • land, sea, and air passenger transport terminals and facilities and interchanges, whether wholly on land or otherwise:
    1. public toilets wherever situated:
      1. banks:
        1. childcare centres and kindergartens:
          1. day-care centres and facilities:
            1. commercial buildings and premises for business and professional purposes, including computer centres:
              1. central, regional, and local government offices and facilities:
                1. courthouses:
                  1. Police stations:
                    1. hotels, motels, hostels, halls of residence, holiday cabins, groups of pensioner flats, boarding houses, guest houses, and other premises providing accommodation for the public:
                      1. hospitals, whether public or private, and rest homes:
                        1. medical and dental surgeries, and medical and paramedical and other primary health care centres:
                          1. educational institutions, including public and private primary, intermediate, and secondary schools, universities, polytechnics, Te Pūkenga—New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology and its Crown entity subsidiaries, and other tertiary institutions:
                            1. libraries, museums, art galleries, and other cultural institutions:
                              1. churches, chapels, and other places of public worship:
                                1. places of assembly, including auditoriums, theatres, cinemas, halls, sports stadiums, conference facilities, clubrooms, recreation centres, and swimming baths:
                                  1. shops, shopping centres, and shopping malls:
                                    1. restaurants, bars, cafeterias, and catering facilities:
                                      1. showrooms and auction rooms:
                                        1. public laundries:
                                          1. petrol and service stations:
                                            1. funeral parlours:
                                              1. television and radio stations:
                                                1. car parks, parking buildings, and parking facilities:
                                                  1. factories and industrial buildings where more than 10 persons are employed:
                                                    1. other buildings, premises, or facilities to which the public are to be admitted, whether for free or on payment of a charge.

                                                        1. Compare: 1991 No 150 s 47A(4)
                                                        Notes
                                                        • Schedule 2 paragraph (m): amended, on , by section 51 of the Education and Training (Vocational Education and Training System) Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 56).
                                                        • Schedule 2 paragraph (m): amended, on , by clause 4(2) of the Education (Name Change for NZIST) Order 2020 (LI 2020/260).
                                                        • Schedule 2 paragraph (m): amended, on , by section 78(1) of the Education (Vocational Education and Training Reform) Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 1).