​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Alert

Henley Lake closed to recreational use due to toxic algae blooms

Henley Lake has been closed to recreational use due to high concentrations of toxic algae. People are advised not to swim or let dogs near the water. An Amber alert/caution is in place for the Ruamahanga River at Kokotau and The Cliffs due to elevated levels of toxic algae.

Contact

Search

Dangerous and Insanitary Buildings Policy Review

  • Opening
  • Closing

Our Dangerous, Affected, and Insanitary Buildings Policy is due for review. We’re proposing some changes and would like your feedback to make sure they reflect the views of the community.

Consultation is open until 4:00pm on Friday 21 March 2025.

We think the policy is working well for the Masterton community, but we are proposing some improvements:

  • to take account of legislative requirements
  • improve transparency and consistency
  • update the policy structure and clarify how the policy is applied.

While the wording of the Policy has been revised for clarity, the practical implementation remains unchanged.

Key proposed changes

There are seven key proposals. More detail and the reasons for each one are outlined in the proposal document below. Proposed changes include:

  1. Inclusion of "affected buildings" in the Policy title and more explicit references in the Policy.
  2. Explanation of how the draft Policy functions in relation to an Emergency Designation (interaction with other provisions of the Act).
  3. Inclusion of information regarding the heritage legislative and policy framework including any relevant District Plan policies and section 6(f) of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) to reflect that historic heritage is a matter of national importance.
  4. Inclusion of a statement on our approach to identifying at-risk buildings.
  5. Inclusion of a statement covering the recording of the status of dangerous, affected, and insanitary buildings and whether this information will be disclosed in any land information memorandum or, where it affects any proposed building work, whether the information should be disclosed in a project information memorandum.
  6. Inclusion of a Heritage Building definition.
  7. Inclusion of when we will consult relevant iwi, hapū or hapori Māori.
Read the full proposal
Complete online survey

Have your say

You can have your say in the following ways:

  • Complete an online survey.
  • Download a fillable submission form (PDF, 100KB) and email it to submissions@mstn.govt.nz.
  • Phone the Policy Team on 06 370 6300 between 9am and 4pm weekdays.
  • Pick up a submission form from Masterton District Library or the Customer Service Centre at 161 Queen Street.
  • Return your form to our Customer Service Centre or mail it to Masterton District Council, PO Box 444, Masterton, 5840.

A hearing will be held on Wednesday 9 April if you would like to present your views to Council. You can tell us on your submission form if you would like to attend the hearing. All of your feedback with be considered at a deliberations meeting on 30 April. Following that meeting, the Council will meet to consider the adoption of the Policy and Bylaw on 14 May.

Questions and Answers

If your question isn't answered below, please get in touch with the Policy team by emailing submissions@mstn.govt.nz or calling 06 370 6300.

This policy outlines how Council identifies, categorises, and manages buildings that may be dangerous, affected by nearby dangerous buildings, or insanitary. It sets our approach, priorities, and how we handle heritage buildings.

Dangerous, Affected and Insanitary Buildings are defined under Sections 121 to 123 of the Building Act 2004 and can be summarised as:

Dangerous buildings: A building likely to cause injury, death or damage to other property, or a building likely to cause injury or death due to fire hazard or building occupancy.

Affected buildings: A building near to a dangerous building or dangerous dam.

Insanitary buildings: A building likely to cause ill health or a building that does not have potable water (safe drinking water) or sanitary facilities (suitable toilet/wastewater facilities).

Under the Building Act 2004, Council is required to have a policy in place to manage these types of buildings. The policy is required to be reviewed every five years to ensure it remains effective and aligned with current legislation. This ensures public safety while considering the unique circumstances of each building, including its historical and cultural significance.

The existing approach to dangerous and insanitary buildings is reactive, meaning that a Council response only occurs when a complaint is received, and Council does not actively seek out such buildings. We consider this approach is working well in practice for our community.

Once a complaint is received the next steps are to:

  • Investigate the building
  • Determine if the building is dangerous, affected and/or insanitary
  • Follow the process as per sections 121 and 123-130 of the Building Act 2004 for remedying the buildings
  • Prioritise urgent work
  • Communication with owner that the building is dangerous, affected and/or insanitary, and
  • Place notice on the building where necessary.

No, dangerous or insanitary buildings a minor issue with about 7 complaints over the past 4 years.

Yes, under section 131 of the Building Act 2004 councils must adopt a policy on dangerous and insanitary building.

Key documents

Share this page

Sharing...