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Building Act 2004

Building - Special provisions for earthquake-prone buildings - Application and interpretation

133AD: Meaning of low, medium, and high seismic risk

You could also call this:

"What 'low', 'medium', and 'high' seismic risk mean for building safety"

When you think about building safety, you need to know about seismic risk. The area where a building is located can have a low, medium, or high seismic risk. This depends on the Z factor of the area.

The Z factor is a number that shows how much seismic hazard an area has. You work out the Z factor using the building code, verification methods, and standards. These are like rules that help keep buildings safe.

The seismic risk of an area is important because it affects what territorial authorities must do. They have to identify potentially earthquake-prone buildings in the area and report on their progress. You can learn more about this in section 133AG.

The seismic risk also affects the deadline for completing seismic work on a building. If a building is subject to an EPB notice, you can find out more about the deadlines in sections 133AM, 133AMA, 133AMB, and 133AMC.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7340926.

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Part 2Building
Special provisions for earthquake-prone buildings: Application and interpretation

133ADMeaning of low, medium, and high seismic risk

  1. For the purposes of this Act, the area in which a building is located has—

  2. a low seismic risk if the area has a Z factor that is less than 0.15; and
    1. a medium seismic risk if the area has a Z factor that is greater than or equal to 0.15 and less than 0.3; and
      1. a high seismic risk if the area has a Z factor that is greater than or equal to 0.3.

        1. For the purpose of subsection (1), the Z factor of an area is the seismic hazard factor that would be used to design a new building on a site in that area in accordance with the following, as they relate to calculating Z factors and as they apply on the day on which this section comes into force:

        2. the building code; and
          1. verification methods; and
            1. standards incorporated by reference into the building code or a verification method.

              1. The seismic risk of an area affects—

              2. the time frame within which a territorial authority must—
                1. apply the EPB methodology to identify buildings or parts of buildings in the area that are potentially earthquake prone (see section 133AG); and
                  1. report to the chief executive on its progress towards that objective; and
                  2. the deadline for completing seismic work on a building or a part of a building in the area, if it is subject to an EPB notice (see sections 133AM, 133AMA, 133AMB, and 133AMC).

                    Notes
                    • Section 133AD: inserted, on , by section 24 of the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 22).
                    • Section 133AD(3)(b): amended, on , by section 13 of the Building (Earthquake-prone Building Deadlines and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 49).