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We provide independent and trusted building research, testing and quality assurance to support better buildings.
Learn moreOur key focus areas:
Affordability
Housing is affordable for people to build, maintain and live in.
Resilience
Buildings protect people from earthquakes, fire, extreme weather and climate change.
Sustainability
Buildings are environmentally designed, built, maintained and recycled.
Quality
Buildings are safe, warm, dry and fit for future generations
News
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Massive impacts': $180 billion of homes on flood-prone land – report
Senior Materials Scientist Catherine Nicholson spoke about the Our Marine Environment 2025 report from Ministry for the Environment.
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Builders are key to making New Zealand homes safer in future earthquakes
Two new seismic resilience modules designed to help strengthen New Zealand homes against earthquakes.
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New era for sustainable buildings
New Zealand’s National Embodied Carbon Repository, NECO2, is now freely available – providing BRANZ-verified carbon data.
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Featured publications

Print version available now!
This guide explains the general principles of the plumbing codes and standards for sanitary plumbing in Aotearoa New Zealand. Issues such as backflow prevention, protection from scalding and explosion by hot water installations and the use of air admittance valves are explained in clear and simple text. This edition was updated and released in April 2024 to reflect recent changes to AS/NZS 3500 Plumbing and drainage standards and amendments to the New Zealand Building Code acceptable solutions for clauses G12 Water supplies and G13 Foul water.