﻿Mr SPEAKER: Question No 10, Brett Hudson.
BRETT HUDSON (National) to the Minister for Building and Housing:
What changes is the Government proposing to ensure NZ
is more resilient to the significant risks we face from earthquakes?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for Building and Housing):
We have made two significant announcements. The first is about
taking a more targeted approach to strengthening older buildings.
We have zoned NZ into three categories of risk
and have varied time frames to upgrade accordingly.
We have also sped up the time frame for strengthening
higher risk buildings like schools, hospitals,
and other emergency buildings in medium and high risk areas.
The result of these changes will reduce the estimated cost,
in net present value terms, by about $500 million,
while at the same time retain the safety gains of 330 fewer deaths
and 360 fewer serious injuries.
Today I have also made announcements about post-emergency building management.
We are ensuring that we learn the lessons from the experience
after the Christchurch earthquakes, so that we manage our building stock
as efficiently as possible so that people can get into buildings quickly,
and also so that we ensure public safety. This is part of the Government’s
broader programme for ensuring we are more resilient to these risks.
Brett Hudson: What response has he had to taking a more
risk-focused approach to the strengthening requirements for older buildings?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The Government’s revised approach
to earthquake strengthening has been widely welcomed.
The Institution of Professional Engineers NZ Inc., Local Government NZ,
and the Property Council NZ have all endorsed the approach.
Fundamental to it is understanding that the level of risk from earthquakes
varies very significantly around NZ, as reinforced by the report today
from GNS Science. In this city, an MM8 earthquake has got a frequency
of once every 120 years, and in Auckland, of only once in every
7,400 years, so it is appropriate that our response takes into account
that sort of risk profile.
Brett Hudson: How do the changes on post-disaster building management
announced today learn from the tragic experience of the Christchurch earthquakes?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I think every member of this House can recall
the huge tension about post-earthquake management after the earthquakes
in 2010 and 2011. Some owners and tenants of buildings
were incredibly frustrated that they were not able to get access,
and there was confusion about the stickering system.
So, consistent with the recommendations of the royal
commission of inquiry, we have changed that system.
We are proposing to make changes to the Building Act,
and I am confident that with these changes, were NZ—
hopefully not—to experience a similar earthquake, we would be
far better prepared to be able to manage those safety risks
and, at the same time, get people access to their buildings more quickly.
Hon Damien O’Connor: What support will the Government offer
the business owners in Franz Josef who have been told
by the Westland District Council that they can no longer
develop their businesses and must, over time, shift away
because of the earthquake risk?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The community of Franz Josef is not different
from areas in my own constituency of Nelson where there are landslip
and earthquake risks, or from the risks in Napier
and all over the country. I note that during the 9 years that Labour
was in office, the member made absolutely no progress
in convincing his colleagues—
Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.
It was a relatively simple question without any political loading in it.
It was simply asking the Minister what support will be supplied
to the community of Franz Josef. The Minister has not yet
addressed the question and has simply begun an attack on the Labour Party.
Mr SPEAKER: No, the Minister was attempting to. He is certainly not
answering it as directly as I might have hoped.
I am going to invite the Hon Damien O’Connor to ask the question again,
but I think I can suspect the answer.
I will ask the member to ask the question again.
Hon Damien O’Connor: What support will the Government offer
to the business owners at Franz Josef who have been told
by the Westland District Council that because of a report
identifying earthquake risk, they may no longer further develop
their businesses and must, over time, move from their current locations?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The issues faced by the community of Franz Josef
are not different from those faced all over NZ, where those risks
are being better identified. What I can promise the member
is that this Government will give those businesses in Franz Josef
a better hearing than they got under the previous Government,
when representations were made and were ignored.
Mr SPEAKER: Question No 11.
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