Asbestos

Asbestos was widely used in New Zealand construction from the 1940s through to the mid-1980s. Common uses included roofing, wall cladding (particularly the textured finish known as 'artex' or 'stipple'), floor tiles, pipe lagging, and insulation. If your home was built or renovated before 1990, there's a reasonable chance it contains asbestos-containing materials (ACMs).

Asbestos is not dangerous when it's in good condition and left undisturbed. The risk comes when asbestos materials are damaged, deteriorated, or disturbed during renovation or demolition — releasing microscopic fibres into the air that can cause serious diseases including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

New Zealand banned the import of raw asbestos in 1984 and most asbestos products by 2002, but a complete ban on all asbestos products wasn't enacted until 2016. The Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 govern how asbestos must be managed and removed.

If you're buying a pre-1990 home, assume asbestos may be present until proven otherwise. This is especially important if you plan to renovate, as disturbing asbestos without proper precautions is both dangerous and illegal. Professional asbestos removal is expensive — budget $3,000-$20,000+ depending on the scope.

Get a pre-purchase building inspection that specifically addresses asbestos. If asbestos is found, understand whether it's in good condition (low risk if undisturbed) or deteriorated (needs professional management or removal). Factor removal costs into your purchase price negotiation.

A qualified building inspector can identify likely asbestos-containing materials during a pre-purchase inspection. However, definitive identification requires laboratory testing of a sample — this costs around $50-$100 per sample. An asbestos survey by a licensed assessor provides a comprehensive assessment of all ACMs in a building, their condition, and management recommendations.