Quake rules remain for 'high-risk' Bay

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton

Hawke's Bay's "high-risk" earthquake status means it has missed out on a relaxation of costly seismic strengthening rules, which has been welcomed in other parts of the country.

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said that, with existing deadlines to strengthen the region's earthquake-prone buildings set to remain, he would continue lobbying for central government funding to help fix affected historic buildings such as the Hawke's Bay Opera House.

The Government has said the changes to how quickly earthquake-prone buildings will need to be assessed and strengthened would reduce the number that would require assessment nationwide from an estimated 500,000 to 30,000, and bring down the total estimated cost from $1.36 billion to $777 million.

But existing rules - requiring buildings that could be a risk to be assessed within five years, with any strengthening carried out within 15 years - are not changing in Hawke's Bay and other "high-risk" earthquake regions, including Gisborne, Wellington and Canterbury.

Mr Yule said in his other role as president of Local Government New Zealand he had been lobbying the Government over the need for financial assistance to preserve at-risk historic buildings, particularly in the high-risk regions. "That will be something we continue to push, I'm working hard on it. If it were to be recognised, potentially the Opera House could be part of that mix."

The 99-year-old theatre was closed last year when engineers discovered it was earthquake-prone. Hastings District Council is planning to consult with the public before committing to the multi-million dollar cost of strengthening the historic complex, which includes the neighbouring Municipal Building.

Mr Yule said seismic compliance was a significant issue for Hawke's Bay commercial property owners, who needed to face up to it now the Government had confirmed the rules were not changing in the region.

"Up until now, a lot of landlords have been too scared to find out. A lot of owners haven't done earthquake testing assessments," he said.

"I see no merit in them delaying that, because it will either confirm they've got an earthquake-prone building or they haven't, and they've now effectively got 15 years to fix it. I think they are better off to know, rather than try to ignore it, because it's clear the Government is not going to allow people to ignore it."

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton agreed the issue was a major one for building owners who were required bring their buildings up to code if, for example, a tenancy change saw the usage of the building change.

"The legislation needs more clarification on where boundaries are and who is involved," he said. "The legislation needs to have a complete review."