All building work in New Zealand must comply with the Building Code, which is the first schedule to the Building Regulations 1992.
The Building Code does not prescribe how work should be done but states, in general terms, how the completed building must perform in its intended use. The Building Code contains functional requirements and performance criteria that cover matters such as protection from fire, structural strength, moisture control and durability.
Building plans and specifications are assessed by building consent authorities (usually the local territorial authority) to ensure that the completed building work comply with the Building Code. When the building consent authority is satisfied, it will issue a building consent for the work to proceed.
The Building Code consists of two preliminary clauses and 37 technical clauses. Each technical clause, except for the ‘C’ Clauses for protection from fire, contains:
- Objectives – The social objective that completed building work must achieve
- Functional requirements – What the completed building work must do to satisfy the social objective
- Performance criteria – Qualitative or quantitative criteria with which buildings must comply in their intended use.
Clause C1 contains the Objectives for the Protection from Fire Clauses C2 to C6. Clauses C2 to C6 contain only Functional Requirements and Performances.
Building Code review
The Building Code was reviewed to align it with the 2004 Act.
