Seismic reform continues: MBIE seeks feedback on proposed guidance

We have now entered a new era for earthquake-prone buildings and how they are identified, assessed and managed under the new legislative framework.

Our Seismic Strengthening Taskforce has played a critical role in getting us to this point, bringing considerable expertise and sector insight throughout the process. This contribution extends well beyond Property Council’s submission on the Buildings (Earthquake prone Buildings) Amendment Bill, with the Taskforce also helping to get the need for legislative reform on the Government’s radar several years ago.

While the Bill has now passed, our work in this space is far from over. MBIE has opened consultation on the Earthquake-prone Building Methodology Guidance and Technical Annexes, which will help inform how the new system is implemented in practice.

MBIE is consulting on two related sets of documents:

• Earthquake-prone Building Legislation and Methodology Guidance: Explains how the new EPB system will be administered in practice, including how buildings are identified and categorised.
• Earthquake-prone Building Methodology Technical Annexes: Sets out the technical requirements and retrofit pathways that support EPB assessments and remediation decisions.

Key consultation details:

• Open now until 4 December 2026.

Importantly for our members to note, MBIE has clarified that this consultation is not seeking feedback on the methodology itself, with a separate consultation on the draft methodology expected next year. Instead, much of the detail on how the new system will operate is being covered in the current consultation through the guidance and technical annexes. This reflects the fact that the key parameters of the new system are already established in primary legislation, meaning the methodology is not expected to contain the same level of detail as under the previous framework.