Changes to Earthquake-prone Building Legislation w Bill McKay : 22 September, 2026

95bFM: The Wire · Sep 21, 2026

Last week, parliament unanimously passed the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Bill, which would reduce restrictions on which buildings are deemed earthquake-prone and unsafe, especially in regions deemed at lower risk of seismic activity like Auckland. The government expects this will save over 8 billion dollars to individuals and businesses, who would no longer have to carry out expensive and potentially unnecessary earthquake strengthening work. I spoke with Bill McKay, senior lecturer in urban planning from the University of Auckland, about what these changes will mean for…