Most quake-prone buildings to go from register

Wednesday, 1 October 2025

The Parkside buildings at Christchurch Hospital. Two Parkside buildings are on the earthquake-prone buildings list, and two others have been strengthened.

Proposed major rules changes covering earthquake-prone buildings would likely see less than a quarter of those on Christchurch’s list remain.

Christchurch now has 454 buildings on the National Earthquake Prone Building (EPB) Register, which lists structures likely to become unsafe in future quakes.

Another 1000, approximately, are listed as either having had remediation work done or been demolished.

On Monday Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk announced they will change the legislation surrounding earthquake-prone building.

On Monday Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk announced Government plans for the new system. It would require seismic upgrades for buildings at least three storeys high, or with unreinforced masonry, if they “pose a genuine risk to human life” in medium to high seismic zones.

Masonry buildings below three storeys in rural towns would not require remediation but would remain on the register until facades are secured, the use of the new building standard (NBS) to determine quake safety would be scrapped, and deadlines for strengthening could be extended.

Nationally, an estimated 55% of buildings are expected to be removed from the earthquake-prone register.

The Peterborough Centre on the corner of Montreal St and Peterborough St.

Christchurch City Council’s head of building consenting, Steffan Thomas, said on Tuesday they expect about 100 Christchurch buildings will remain on the current list.

He said staff are “working through the Government’s announcement to fully understand how it will impact earthquake-prone buildings in Christchurch under the new proposed regime”.

Thomas said it is likely building owners seeking a 15-year extension, another provision of the new rules, would need to apply for it.

In Christchurch, most remediation work has been done as part of earthquake repairs, while many structures considered uneconomic to repair and strengthen have been demolished.

The former student union building, later Dux de Lux restaurant, at the Christchurch Arts Centre is earthquake-prone.

A large number of the buildings on the Christchurch register are utility structures such as storage sheds, pump houses, boiler rooms or lean-tos.

Among buildings on the register are two of Christchurch Hospital’s Parkside buildings, which must be upgraded by 2029. Remediation of two other Parkside buildings has been completed.

Health New Zealand’s head of infrastructure asset management, Stacey Marsh, said the remediated buildings have been strengthened to above 33% of new build standard, and the rest of the work on the remaining two buildings will be completed in 2027.

The old Victoria Mansions will be strengthened, repaired, and reopened as a boutique hotel.

Other buildings on the quake-prone list include the heritage Peterborough Centre on the corner of Montreal and Peterborough streets, the old Student Union building (formerly Dux de Lux) at the Arts Centre, the Robert McDougall building which is now being strengthened as part of the Canterbury Museum redevelopment, and a cluster of small buildings at Ferrymead Heritage Park.

Remediation deadlines for the structures range from 2026 to 2043.

Others included are destined for demolition, including Harley Building and Antonio Hall.

Just half the Christchurch structures on the register have earthquake ratings of between 0% and 20% of the new building standard, and about a third are rated at 20% to 33%. The rating of another 56 structures is yet to be determined.

Ceres NZ owns two sites on the list, the Peterborough Centre and nearby Victoria Mansions. Plans to convert Victoria Mansions to a boutique hotel are under way, while no significant work has yet been done on the neo-Gothic Peterborough Centre.

Ferrymead Heritage Park. The park has struggled financially over the past couple of years. It was forced to close last winter and has had a change of board and management.

Spokesman Swaroop Gowda said they have yet to sort through the implications for the properties, and will be seeking engineering advice.

Andy Blackmur, treasurer of the Ferrymead Trust, said two of their buildings on the list, the bakery and printhouse, have been remediated and reopened, while the stables and cob cottage remain closed to the public.

The park has struggled financially over the past couple of years, and was forced to close last winter. Earlier this year it sought funding help from Christchurch City Council.

The Arts Centre declined to comment on what effects new rules might have on plans for its buildings.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that less than a quarter of earthquake-prone buildings would be removed from Christchurch’s list under proposed rule changes. In fact, less than a quarter will remain on the list.