NZ Society for Earthquake Engineering Conference

Introduction 

It's a pleasure for me to be able to speak to you today as Minister for Building and Construction.

New Zealand is a world leader in earthquake-prone building design. That's in part due to its geographical and geological location but it's also due to the skill and ingenuity of its engineers, designers and builders

Base Isolation

The technology behind what's known as base isolation, or the rubber ‘shock absorbers' installed under some of New Zealand's most iconic buildings - Parliament and Te Papa - was invented by New Zealander, Dr Bill Robinson and has been used in countries around the world including Japan, China, Taiwan, Turkey, Armenia, India and the United States.

I'm told the principle behind base isolation is simple - each half-metre or so block is made up of several layers of rubber interspersed with layers of steel and a core of lead.  But the bearings must be carefully designed to match the building and they must be carefully made.

If a major earthquake hit the lower North Island, and Wellington in particular, Parliament and our national museum are likely to remain standing as the giant rubber blocks absorb the movement from the quake protecting the building and those working inside.

The Building Code

Earthquake-prone building design in New Zealand began with the Napier quake of 1931. The terrible death toll caused by that event spurred urgent inquiry into building materials and methods which could withstand tremors of equal magnitude.

We can trace the beginnings of the Building Code from the Napier earthquake.  In fact in 1935 the first Building Code containing provisions for earthquakes was published.

The Building Code has been evolving ever since. As our knowledge about building and materials has grown so the Code has had to change and be updated.  NZSEE members have led the development of Codes and Standards.

Of course there have been other more recent earthquakes which have served as a wake-up call for all of us.

We should never become complacent and with the help of experts like you we never shall.

Department supports the Society for Earthquake Engineering

The Department of Building and Housing has supported the development of engineering guidelines over a number of years and we all appreciate the input, mostly voluntary, and the commitment of NZSEE members to these tasks.

Some of my officials worked with colleagues from Gisborne District Council in the wake of its recent earthquake. Luckily no-one was hurt but they could easily have been.

The Department's role is to identify regulatory changes that could be made to reduce the impact of major earthquakes to make the recovery process easier.

Territorial authorities throughout the country now have their own earthquake-prone buildings policy through legislation promoted by the Society, and supported by the Department.

Rapid evaluation of buildings

The rapid evaluation of post earthquake buildings project is another area where the Society and my Department continue to collaborate.

As the name suggests, the scheme will allow buildings damaged by tremors to be assessed quickly so that decisions can be made swiftly about which buildings are safe and those that are not.

Building sector

It's not just up to geologists or engineers to protect us from the threat of earthquakes.

Everyone in the building sector in New Zealand should be aware of the earthquake provisions in the Building Code and work to maintain standards.

And that is about increasing awareness and raising skill levels.

I want to improve the building and housing system so that it delivers better outcomes for New Zealanders and supports the sector.

This means a focus lifting and maintaining skills and capability across the sector.

This means completing the reform process albeit with changes.  I want to make some changes to simplify and streamline stuff around licensing of builders and also the consenting process.

This means using twenty-first century technology to make the "boat go faster"

We will do this through:

Amending  the Building Act 2004 to cut red tape, drive down costs but maintaining quality.

• having another look at what needs to be consented and providing better information and education on the building code and how to achieve or meet performance standards without "regulating everything that moves"


• removing unnecessary building control regulation and increasing focus on information and education


• simplifying building licensing rules, providing recognition for  trade qualifications, making it easier to get licensed but not dumbing it down


• support councils to work smarter using technology to do so


• leveraging the same technology to reduce design and building costs - investigate the potential for an on-line national consenting system to reduce costs, and get consistency across the country.


• helping consumers take better informed decisions about building their homes and choosing the products they need.

 In conclusion

Thanks for inviting me today.  I hope your Society will continue to play the important role it has in New Zealand engineering over many years - to deepen our knowledge of earthquake-prone design and to widen our experience.

I am confident you will and I know the threat of earthquakes in this country is lessened by your invaluable work.