BRANZ — NZ's Building Research and Technical Reference

The Facts

The Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) is the independent research organisation that produces the technical evidence base for NZ building practice. It publishes research papers on building performance, durability, energy efficiency, weathertightness, fire, structural performance, and many other topics. BRANZ also runs the Appraisal scheme, the most widely recognised independent product certification in NZ, used by manufacturers to demonstrate compliance with the Building Code. Many BRANZ publications are free to download, others (like full technical bulletins) require purchase. BRANZ is levy-funded, established 1969.

A Developer's Take

Building Research Association of NZ. Independent research that underpins NZ Building Code compliance. Most publications free.

For developers, the two things you'll actually use:

1. BRANZ Appraisals. The standard independent product certification in NZ. When a product (insulation, cladding, structural element) is BRANZ Appraised, you can specify it with confidence in your consent application.

2. Technical research on weathertightness, durability, thermal performance, fire. When a designer or your contractor says "this detail works", BRANZ research is what backs that claim.

The H1 energy efficiency changes from late 2022 are the most recent example. BRANZ research underpinned the new insulation requirements, and BRANZ has published practical guidance on how to detail wall constructions to meet the new R-values. If you're building anything insulated, you're working in BRANZ-research territory whether you know it or not.

Where most developers undervalue BRANZ: weathertightness research. Auckland has decades of weathertightness issues, BRANZ has decades of research on what works and what doesn't. If your designer is proposing any detail outside the BRANZ Build Magazine standard solutions, ask why and check the BRANZ research first.

Bookmark the BRANZ search page. Use it when your designer makes a claim you want to verify.

When to use this

Open BRANZ when you need an independent technical answer the BCA will accept. Use the Appraisals database to confirm a product carries the certification your designer has assumed, and read the relevant technical bulletin before specifying anything unusual — weathertightness, thermal mass, fire-rated wall systems. It is also where to look when a BCA RFI asks for evidence of compliance against an Acceptable Solution. A 20-minute read on BRANZ is often cheaper than a back-and-forth with the BCA on first principles.