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Canterbury earthquake: Technical guidance

The Department of Building and housing is developing residential housing and commercial guidance for earthquake affected areas in Canterbury. This technical information will assist the rebuild of Canterbury.

Residential building repair and reconstruction 

Guidance for repairing and rebuilding houses in the Canterbury region following the earthquake sequence. Read the Residential building repair and reconstruction guidance »


Commercial building repair and reconstruction

Guidelines to assist territorial authorities to prepare for and manage the rapid assessment of buildings during a state of emergency. Read the Commercial building repair and reconstruction guidance »


Seismic hazard in Canterbury

Information about the increased seismic hazard factor for the Canterbury earthquake region and amendments to the Verification Method B1/VM1. Read about the seismic hazard factor in Canterbury »


Change of Use

Guidance to assist the Christchurch City Council in applying the change of use provisions under the Building Act 2004 when dealing with temporary business and housing relocations. Read the Change of Use guidance »


Engineering Advisory Group

The group assisting the Department to develop technical information. Read about the Engineering Advisory Group »


Research trial to test ground improvement options

The Department recently conducted a research trial in Christchurch to test the feasibility of four ground improvement options for strengthening land that is prone to liquefaction. Read about the research trial »