Ground-breaking test shows new low-damage New Zealand construction practice can withstand earthquakes

A team of QuakeCoRE researchers have just completed a significant test of New Zealand building construction that shows new design methods will withstand future earthquakes without the damage observed during the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquake sequences. A two-storey precast concrete building was tested on one of the world’s largest and most flexible shake table arrays.

GoShift to Simplify Building Consents Process

GoShift is an initiative involving more than 20 councils, from Western Bay of Plenty to Nelson, which aims to make the building consents process simpler and faster. The councils involved are already using the new GoShift building consents application forms and the online service is the next stage in the initiative.