This notice is issued pursuant to section 29(2)(c) of the Building Act 2004 and provides public notification of a statement of proposal relating to proposed amendments aimed at improving fire safety systems for New Zealand buildings.

Notice

1. Title—This notice is the Building (Statement of Proposal) Notice 2017.

2. Commencement—This notice commences on 18 May 2017.

3. Interpretation—In this notice, unless the context requires otherwise:

statement of proposal means a document required by section 29 of the Building Act 2004.

4. Where copies of the statement of proposal may be obtained—Copies of the statement of proposal may be obtained from the website maintained by the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment at www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/building-construction/consultations/fire-review.

5. Submissions on the statement of proposal—(1) Submissions on the statement of proposal may be made no later than 5.00pm on Friday 14 July 2017.

(2) Submissions may be emailed to firereview@mbie.govt.nz or posted to:

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
15 Stout Street
PO Box 1473
Wellington 6140
Attention: Consultation on fire safety proposals

Dated at Wellington this 16th day of May 2017.

ANNA BUTLER, General Manager (Building System Performance), Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (acting under delegated authority).

Explanatory note

This note is for explanatory purposes only.

This notice provides public notification of a statement of proposal relating to proposed amendments aimed at improving fire safety systems for New Zealand buildings. The proposed amendments aim to:

• increase flexibility in use of internal surface finishes (by replacing Building Code clause C3.4 and related changes to C/AS2-7 and C/VM2);
• clarify Building Code requirements for structural performance in fire (by revising Building Code clause C6 and related changes to definitions C/AS1–C/AS6 and B1/VM1);
• update the Verification Method and include more safeguards for tall buildings (by updating C/VM2); and
• support Alternative Solutions for fire designs by issuing guidance (under section 175 of the Building Act 2004).