The Government's unveiled changes to the regime - removing nearly three thousand buildings from the classification.
It'll mean only 80 will need full retrofits and 15 hundred buildings will still need some remediation.
It'll see Auckland, Northland, and the Chatham Islands removed from the regime.
Coastal Otago, including Dunedin, will be classified as a medium seismic hazard area, and will remain within the earthquake-prone building system
Joint Centre for Disaster Research's Lauren Vinnell says it means we'll see a real prioritisation of fixing buildings that genuinely pose a risk to life.
She says that means it can hopefully save lives in an earthquake and communities can recover easier if they can stay safely in their homes.