ABSTRACT
From the earliest European settlement in the 1840s to the current day, New Zealand has had a range of building controls. Initially, provincial government legislation covered only larger population centres, but following passage of the Municipal Corporations Act 1867, local authorities could make their own by-laws. Subsequent revisions increased by-law coverage. By 1923, at least 37 towns, boroughs and cities had their own (often different) building by-laws, but it was not until the 1931 Napier, NZ, earthquake that the 1935 national “Standard Model Building By-law” NZSS 95, complete with seismic requirements, was created. This paper reviews the evolution of building by-laws in two major cities – Dunedin and Wellington – from 1876 to the 1930s. It explores the issues and materials controlled in each major change in the by-laws as well as the reasons for change. By comparing the requirements between the two cities over time, it explores how these represent changes in construction systems, methods and materials as well as responses to different natural and man-made disasters.
