Kupu whakahoki tautapa ki te āwhā, January 2023 Designation response to January 2023 storm

The whole Auckland region has been 'designated' under the Building Act 2004 to help manage ongoing risks to people from buildings affected by flooding and land instability as a result of the January 2023 storm event.

Last updated: 17 February 2026

About this designation

The designation allows us to take specific actions under the Building Act to manage buildings in an emergency. Visit Designated areas for building emergency management to learn what a designation means.

The decision to designate the region was made by the mayor of Auckland at 7pm on 30 January 2023 and the designation took effect on 1 February 2023.

The designation will be reviewed every 90 days by Auckland Council to confirm that the powers conferred by the designated are required to manage the response and recovery.

The designation will remain in place until 31 January 2027, unless terminated earlier.

We completed reviews on:

• 3 May 2023 (first 90-day review)
• 31 July 2023 (second 90-day review)
• 29 October 2023 (third 90-day review)
• 26 January 2024 (fourth 90-day review)
• 29 April 2024 (fifth 90-day review
• 26 July 2024 (sixth 90-day review)
• 24 October 2024 (seventh 90-day review)
• 20 January 2025 (eighth 90-day review)
• 15 April 2025 (ninth 90-day review)
• 17 July 2025 (10th 90-day review)
• 17 October 2025 (11th 90-day review)
• 17 January 2026 (12th 90-day review).

Some suburbs and localities have been terminated from the designated area in each review.

Properties currently under January 2023 designation

You can email rbacomms@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz for more details on placarded properties.

Designated area

The original designated area extended across the entire Auckland region, from Warkworth to Pukekohe including Great Barrier Island.

Powers under a designation

The Building Act provides us a number of powers that may be exercised in respect to all buildings within the designated area, including the ability to:

• enter buildings
• complete post-event assessments
• direct the evacuation of buildings
• put in place measures for protecting buildings and keeping people at a safe distance
• place notices and signs on buildings
• direct the owners of buildings or land to provide information
• direct works (urgent and non-urgent) to remove or reduce risks
• direct works for long-term use or occupation of a building.

Assessment placards

Visit Placards issued to properties after a natural disaster for information about the different placards (stickers) and what they mean.

Non-compliance and penalties

The Building Act sets out a number of offences and penalties for non-compliance in this matter.

Penalties include fines of between $5000 and $200,000.