Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre and Opera House are some of the capital's entertainment hubs, but they've both been issued Earthquake Prone Building notices - so why are they staying open?
Wellington City Council recently commissioned seismic assessments on both buildings and found parts of both venues are below the 33 percent New Building Standard (NBS) threshold for being earthquake-prone.
The Wellington City Council said under the NBS, a building's seismic performance rating is given based on its seismically weakest part.
"The Earthquake-Prone Building (EPB) notices give the Council, as owner of the buildings, seven and half years to plan and carry out remedial works."
The Council's chief infrastructure officer Siobhan Procter said the Michael Fowler Centre and the Opera House "play key roles in Wellington's entertainment district".
"They're really important."
Procter broke down the details for Newshub and said the assessments take into account the probability of a significant earthquake occurring, the occupancy of the building and the risk to life.
Procter told Newshub the assessments found the overall risk to be "very low". She said the chance of a significant earthquake occurring is "relatively low" because "the return period of a significant earthquake, for instance, is a one in 500-year event".
Because both venues are non-essential buildings and are not occupied 24/7 the occupancy of them is low, meaning the risk to life is low too.
"The conclusion is they're safe to stay open."
Procter said when the engineers who conducted the assessments were asked, "Would you attend shows here?" they all said, "Yeah we would".
But she told Newshub the choice is up to each individual whether they feel safe to enter the buildings or not.
What next?
The Wellington City Council will review the options available to it on what are the next steps for both venues.
Procter said it will "take some time" for the Council to get all of its ducks in a row and decisions should be made by January or February next year.
Both venues will have EPB notices displayed at every public entrance.
