The 273 empty and derelict buildings around Invercargill and Southland could be addressed through a new Government review of earthquake prone buildings, Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds has said.

“This is a real problem in the South - Invercargill has 162 earthquake-prone buildings – the 4th highest rate of 27 regions around the country, while Southland has 63 and Gore 48."

“Many of these buildings have been sitting empty and abandoned for years, with safety issues and vandalism a problem. They also do nothing to improve the look of Invercargill city or the surrounding local towns."

“By making it easier and cheaper for these building owners to redevelop and continue to use their properties, while ensuring public safety measures are in place, we can improve business confidence which will also help rebuild the Southern economy."

“With 273 of these unsightly, old buildings across Southland, this review could be a real catalyst for change in our province."

“Many people tell me they’re concerned about the current state of these old buildings, and they want something done, while their owners are stuck because can’t afford to move forward with remediation works."

“This Government review intends to make sure we are getting the balance right between public safety and the costs put on building owners."

“The current system attempts to manage risk by requiring earthquake-prone buildings to be remediated within set timeframes."

“But it’s just not working, with many buildings not being brought up to standard because the owners can’t comply, due to high remediation costs and an excessive layering of regulations."

“This is why we have acted with urgency to bring forward this review to provide certainty and ensure we get a good balance between protecting lives and real-world costs.”

The review will be extensive and will report back in the first half of 2025 with a focus on:

- cost of mitigating earthquake risk and improving buildings’ resilience

- proposals for managing earthquake risk with effect on private property owners

- barriers and the types of incentives that would help building owners better manage seismic risk

- changes that align with broader Government objectives, such as going for housing growth and rebuilding the economy