New earthquake rules for Dunedin buildings

Allied Press

Are new earthquake rules a threat to Dunedin's heritage? This video explores concerns raised about potential impacts on the city's unique historic buildings.  The speaker highlights worries that policies developed in Wellington may not adequately consider Dunedin's specific needs, especially given its high concentration of heritage buildings. There is concern that new regulations could hinder building owners' ability to afford renovations and restorations.  Economic wellbeing is also a key factor. While safety is paramount, the speaker emphasizes that Dunedin's heritage is vital to its economy, providing jobs and security. Input from local building owners is crucial to ensure the rules support, rather than undermine, the city's architectural treasures.  #DunedinHeritage #EarthquakeSafety #BuildingRegulations #NZPolitics

Transcript

00:00I think they're interesting and pragmatic.

00:08I'm concerned that the devil will always be in the detail and I think we need to dig down

00:12on that and see what it means to us as a city.

00:15I am concerned about the changes that might be coming.

00:19I don't think Dunedin has had enough of a say in it and this seems very typical of Wellington

00:26to create policy that affects Dunedin or smaller communities without actually talking to those communities.

00:32I know from the Southern Heritage Trust we haven't been spoken to.

00:35So I'm just waiting to see a bit more of the detail but so far there is quite a lot of concern

00:41from engineers and building owners around Dunedin that I'm picking up today

00:45that it could actually impact their ability to pay for their renovations and restorations

00:51and reuse of those buildings and that's the opposite to what's intended.

00:55So I just really hope that Dunedin is not left out of the good news when it comes to the North Island

01:02and that Dunedin is actually being thought of carefully and the fact that we have the highest number

01:08of heritage buildings in New Zealand in one place in our CBD.

01:13When you actually look at AF8 the most damage is north of us so I am concerned about that.

01:23But we do have to be pragmatic and there are a lot of faults around the city as well.

01:28I understand why that's occurred. I understand that we have faults around Dunedin other than the AF8.

01:34The ACATOR fault is one.

01:36However, I think we need to keep our feet on the ground and be realistic

01:40because while safety is really important, the other really important thing for Dunedin is our economic wellbeing

01:47and our heritage is a ticket to that if we were to use it in the future more than what we are.

01:53So economic wellbeing for our people, that there are jobs, that there is a secure economy

01:57is also really important for Dunedin.

02:00So hopefully we're not throwing one out in order to get another.

02:03Always optimistic that it will make it better for building owners and in the end that's what we want

02:12is the ability to refurbish and look after our heritage buildings.

02:16I would hope that we would be asked for our information specifically and for our input.

02:21I think that Dunedin building owners have been waiting for something like this

02:25so if it's good news that's great but if it's not then we need to get up to Wellington

02:30and tell them all about our community. Sadly, if they haven't been watching or listening

02:34or they've neglected us once again.

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