Big Win for Feilding and Manawatū Villages
This opinion piece by the Mayor was originally published in Feilding First on 2 October 2026 and is reproduced here for reference.
Earthquake-Prone Building reforms are a big win for Feilding and Manawatū villages. Government estimates the savings to Feilding building owners will be around $85 million. The new legislation will reduce the risk of Feilding’s town centre being destroyed by legislation and policy rather than an actual earthquake.
Building owners in Feilding will only be required to secure the facades of unreinforced masonry buildings, which make up a significant part of our attractive town centre. Council will also have discretion around timeframes, likely linked to building owners making a genuine effort to secure their facades.
Government has also uncoupled fire and disability requirements. For many building owners, the combined cost of strengthening and meeting these additional requirements meant no work was taking place. By focusing on securing facades, Government is addressing by far the greatest risk to human life in a balanced, pragmatic and much more affordable way.
The legislation passed unanimously in Parliament, with all political parties supporting it. With new government guidelines expected later this year, we will look to develop templates to simplify the process for building owners.
Council wants to work alongside building owners and is also interested in working with Feilding and District Promotion and others on a heritage paint scheme. This private sector investment would complement public investment in the town centre refresh.
Feilding’s town centre is the shop window of the Manawatū District. It needs to be attractive and vibrant to attract and retain businesses, residents and our youth, while encouraging refurbishment of existing buildings and exciting new developments.
Manawatū District Council has taken a leading role in working with Government to change the Earthquake-Prone Building legislation. Our successful remit to Local Government New Zealand resulted in me leading a national committee working with Government. Government listened to councils, resulting in this legislation change.
This is an exciting opportunity for Feilding to capitalise on balanced legislation and thrive, complementing industrial growth at the Turners Road extension in Kawakawa Industrial Park and residential growth at Maewa and elsewhere across our district.
For villages such as Rongotea, Halcombe and Kimbolton, brick building facades will not be required to be secured. Across New Zealand’s low earthquake-risk areas, 2,900 buildings currently designated earthquake prone are expected to be removed from the system, with estimated savings to the New Zealand economy of $8.2 billion.
MDC has also played a significant role in fighting Three Waters and achieving the removal of some Class 3 soils from the National Policy Statement on Highly Productive Land.
Manawatū Water Services remains an in-house council business unit, saving ratepayers millions of dollars, while the NPS-HPL changes will enable Feilding and several villages to grow.
MDC punches well above its weight.