Buildings will be assessed on a risk-basis, focusing on those most vulnerable to large quakes.
It'll reduce the capital's list of quake-prone buildings from 540 to 269.
Engineering NZ CEO, Richard Templer, says its impact could be major in small town New Zealand - where lots of buildings looked destined to be boarded up.
He says it's a pragmatic solution to a very complex problem, as the previous system was very well-intentioned, but it wasn't delivering the results that were needed.
