Natural hazard guidance released
Posted: 2 October 2023
Aotearoa New Zealand has recently experienced severe weather events which caused widespread flooding and damage to land and buildings across the North Island as well as isolating several communities from the rest of the country.
Due to our geography and location, Aotearoa New Zealand is a country prone to natural hazards. As our climate changes we can expect damaging environmental events to increase in frequency and severity.
New Natural Hazards Guidance Document
The natural hazard provisions of the Building Act ensure that natural hazards are identified and considered when a building consent is applied for and that future owners are aware that a building has been built on the land that may be subject to a natural hazard. Our new guidance document outlines the steps needed for building consent applications that include building work on land where a natural hazard is present.
It is primarily aimed at building consent authorities but may also be useful for building owners and their designers who intend to build a new building, alter, or repair an existing building on land where a natural hazard is present.
The Natural hazards guidance document covers relevant natural hazard sections of the Building Act 2004, with a focus on flooding.
Photo credit: Alan Blacklock - NIWA