Earthquake-prone buildings

Northland is within the upper North Island low-seismic zone.

Changes to the earthquake-prone building system mean buildings in Northland are no longer subject to the earthquake-prone building provisions of the Building Act. 

Buildings previously identified as earthquake-prone will no longer be treated as earthquake-prone under the revised system, and no new earthquake-prone building notices can be issued.

Earthquakes can occur anywhere in New Zealand at any time. Building owners may still wish to consider seismic resilience improvements as part of their ongoing building management and maintenance, even though earthquake-prone building requirements no longer apply.

More information

For more information about the revised earthquake-prone building system and seismic risk areas, visit the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) website:

• Managing earthquake-prone buildings (building.govt.nz)
• Interactive earthquake-prone building map (building.govt.nz)

The interactive map provides location-specific information about new earthquake-prone building requirements that apply from 1 July 2027.

If your building has been damaged in a natural hazard, you can find information here:

Buildings and emergencies