Know the rules

From firing up requirements for thermal insulation to cooling down prospects for building on prime farm land, plenty of building rules have been updated or introduced in the last year with more to come in 2023.

Topics include

Building code
Know the rules
By
David Hindley
Last updated 22 May 2026
Share
Share on Facebook Share on Linkedin

Changes to building legislation in 2022 are wide reaching and include Building Code updates, RMA changes, new highly productive land rules and climate change regulations. Here’s an overview of what’s happened and a preview of what’s to come.

Housing intensification

Many councils are changing their district plans to implement government requirements for greater housing intensification. Changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) made at the end of 2021 require Tier 1 councils (which include the biggest urban areas) to allow higher building heights, especially close to city hubs and public transport.

The new medium-density residential standards state that up to three homes of up to 3 storeys can be built on sites in most residential areas without a resource consent being required.

Off-site construction and building product information

Some key changes in the Building Act being put into action:

  • BuiltReady – a voluntary certification scheme for off-site manufacturers of modular components. These are components that have a certificate issued by a registered manufacturer and must be accepted by building consent authorities as complying with the Building Code. BuiltReady opens for applications from manufacturers in 2023. For more on BuiltReady, see BuiltReady scheme in Build 193, pages 80–81.
  • From 11 December 2023, manufacturers, importers, retailers and distributors must ensure specific information is available on certain types of new building products.

Unit owners better protected

The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2022 became law on 9 May 2022. This update to the Unit Titles Act:

  • strengthens body corporate governance arrangements
  • lifts the standards for body corporate managers
  • requires more planning around long-term maintenance
  • introduces new dispute resolution rules and fees
  • gives more flexibility to utility interests and charges to unit owners
  • requires more information to be given to prospective buyers and gives additional rights to buyers if these requirements are not met
  • gives new powers to the regulator.

Most provisions come into force on 9 May 2023, with those that need more time or need to have regulations created coming into force on 9 May 2024.

Brakes applied to building on farmland

The National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land published in September 2022 aims to prevent or reduce developments on highly productive land.

Regional councils and territorial authorities must map their highly productive land and include it in regional policy statements and district plans. The urban rezoning of this land will generally be prohibited. The land can only be made available for urban housing if there is no alternative or if certain tests are met.

Building Code updates

  • B1 Structure – the Acceptable Solutions and Verification Methods now reference the new versions of AS/NZS 4671:2019 Steel for the reinforcement of concrete, AS/NZS 5131:2016 Structural steelwork – Fabrication and erection, AS/NZS 2327:2017 Composite structures – Composite steel-concrete construction in buildings and New Zealand Geotechnical Society Inc. Field description of soil and rock – Guideline for the field classification and description of soil and rock for engineering purposes (December 2005).
  • E2 External moisture – E2/VM2 now cites BRANZ EM7 Performance of midrise cladding systems v3 (June 2020) as the primary means for demonstrating compliance. Any verification certificates issued under E2/VM2 after 2 November 2022 must be under E2/VM2 2nd edition.
  • G7 Natural light – the updated Acceptable Solutions and Verification Methods replaced the old version on 3 November 2022.
    • G7/AS1 now only applies to buildings up to 3 storeys.
    • G7/AS2 applies to simple buildings such as simple multi-unit apartment designs.
  • G7/VM1 applies to all buildings, including complex buildings and apartments and those that contain rooms that borrow daylight from other spaces.
  • H1 Energy efficiency – the 4th edition Acceptable Solution and Verification Method can no longer be used (since 3 November 2022) and there are now six climate zones.
  • H1/AS1 and H1/VM1 5th edition amendment 1 now apply to all housing, including all multi-unit housing and buildings up to 300 m². Insulation requirements have been boosted, although for floor, wall and roof insulation in houses, the old 4th edition R-values can still be used until 30 April 2023. There is a multi-stage implementation for the increases in R-values for doors and windows.
  • For buildings over 300 m² (excluding housing and purely industrial buildings), there is a brand-new H1/AS2 and H1/VM2.
  • New Verification Method H1/VM3 sets minimum requirements around HVAC systems in commercial buildings (offices and retail spaces) if these systems are installed.

Standards

  • SNZ PAS 6012:2022 Smart home guidelines published in September 2022 is about using technology to reduce energy use and emissions. With a home energy management system, electrical appliances and control mechanisms interact to optimise energy consumption while still meeting the consumer’s needs.
  • Special conditions for NZS 3910:2013 Conditions of contract for building and civil engineering construction (published in October 2022) can be downloaded from the Standards New Zealand website. They can be incorporated into Schedule 2: Special Conditions of Contract – Other Conditions of Contract on new contracts. The new special conditions publication will help bridge the gap until publication of the revised standard, currently due later in 2023.
  • SNZ TS 4211:2022 Classification for the performance of windows was published in September 2022. It provides a methodology for classifying windows and exterior doors in accordance with their suitability for various design and building situations, establishing a basis for decisions about the likely performance of windows relative to their exposure and for demonstrating compliance with the Building Code. It is for use by window suppliers, manufacturers and designers.

On the horizon

  • RMA replacement – work is under way replacing the Resource Management Act. The government aims to pass the Natural and Built Environment Bill and the Spatial Planning Bill through Parliament before the election in late 2023. The third piece of the reform, the Climate Adaptation Act, is due to be introduced later in 2023. You can read more about this on pages 40–41.
  • NZS 3604:2011 Timber-framed buildings – this is being revised to extend the scope of the standard to 3 full storeys to allow it to be used for medium-density dwellings.
  • Building Code changes to lead in plumbing – MBIE is amending Acceptable Solution G12/AS1 to limit the maximum allowable content of lead permitted in plumbing products in contact with drinking water. The revised Acceptable Solution will be published in November 2023 with a transition period to 1 September 2025.
  • Building Code changes to hollow-core floors – MBIE is also removing the deemed-to-comply pathway in B1/VM1 for designing supports for hollow-core floor systems. The amended B1/VM1 will be published in November 2023, and the change will take immediate effect.

Building for climate change

Launched in 2020, MBIE’s Building for climate change programme aims to reduce whole-of-life embodied carbon emissions, transform operational efficiency and support adaptation work that will enhance the resilience of the building stock. It will affect every aspect of building, including design, building consent applications, building materials and construction methods.

MBIE has said that, subject to government funding, in 2024–29 it will:

  • make a new Building Code compliance pathway available for operational efficiency
  • introduce mandatory disclosure of embodied carbon for new buildings
  • phase in caps for embodied carbon in new buildings
  • confirm an emissions reduction approach for existing buildings.

From 2030 onwards, MBIE will progress towards final emissions reductions caps. In practical terms, calculating carbon footprints will be required for building consent applications. Eventually, there will be caps placed on the allowable emissions in a new building, and the caps will be reduced over time.

More climate change proposals

In December 2022, the government announced other proposed law changes to help achieve its climate change goals. They include:

  • making it mandatory for a waste minimisation plan to be prepared for certain building or demolition work
  • making energy performance ratings mandatory for large new and existing public, industrial and apartment buildings
  • changing the principles and purposes of the Building Act to clarify that climate change is a key consideration.

A Bill introducing the changes will be introduced to Parliament in 2023. The changes will be phased in over time.