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.

About this designation

The designation allows us to take specific actions under the Building Act to manage buildings in an emergency.

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 1 February 2024, unless terminated earlier.

We completed the first 90 day review on 3 May 2023 and the second 90 day review on 31 July 2023. Some suburbs and localities have been terminated from the designated area in each review.

Suburbs and localities removed and remaining under January 2023 designation

List of suburbs and localities removed and remaining under designation

PDF download 226.9 KB

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Map of suburbs and localities remaining under designation Map of suburbs and localities remaining under designation PDF 2.3 MB
List of suburbs and localities removed and remaining under designation List of suburbs and localities removed and remaining under designation PDF 226.9 KB

Designated area

The original designated area extended across the entire Auckland region, from Warkworth to Pukekohe and 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

See 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.

West Auckland storm designation 2021

The designation put in place following the west Auckland storm in 2021 was terminated on 26 July 2023.