Changes to how earthquake-prone buildings are managed across the country have been met with a tentative approach from southern councils.

On Monday, the government announced it would replace the existing system used by engineers with the earthquake-prone building (EPB) system.

The EPB method was introduced following the Christchurch earthquakes and currently includes around 5,800 buildings awaiting either remediation or demolition, the government says.

Incoming changes aim to lower that number by around 2,900.

In Southland, there are a total of 401 buildings on the EPB register for the entire region, district council acting group manager regulatory services Elizabeth Hovell said.

Eighty-one of those were located within the district council’s area, and three were in the process of being removed from the register.

Hovell pointed out seismic risk classifications were changing in coastal Otago and Stewart Island/Rakiura and said there would be more clarity for Southland once the bill was released.

“We will continue to closely monitor developments and engage with affected property owners as more information becomes available.”

Invercargill City Council chief executive Michael Day said the legislative changes were significant and the council was still working through the details.

There were 195 earthquake-prone buildings on the council’s register and an additional 24 requiring assessment, he said.

Five of those were owned by the council, including the town’s iconic brick Water Tower.

“Until legislation is in place, council is not in a position to consider how many buildings may be removed from the register,” Day said.

Under the old system, a building’s expected performance in an earthquake was compared against new buildings, with those scoring less than 34 percent requiring strengthening or demolition.

Minister for building and construction Chris Penk said that system calculated risk based on the building’s weakest part and proved too broad and inconsistent.

The new system would only capture buildings which posed a risk to human life in medium and high seismic zones, he said.

Mitigation measures required under the changes included targeted retrofits, full retrofits, securing facades or remaining on a public register.

Both the type of building and its location played a factor on what was required.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air