In the light of recent tragedies, a spotlight has been placed on the state of fire rated walls and floors within buildings which prevent the spread of fire from one firecell to another. These keep people evacuating from a building safe by compartmentalising the fire by stopping this spreading from floor to floor and keeping their means of escape clear. Fire ratings are important to firefighters who may be tackling a fire in a building using a fire rated area as a safe place to work from, and fire ratings also ensure the structural integrity of the building is maintained so that no collapse occurs while a fire is being fought.
As part of the flow on from these events a new Code of Practice for Passive Fire Protection Inspections (2026) has been released which has the potential to significantly change how fire separations are inspected and reported as part of the New Zealand BWOF process, particularly for buildings that have SS15/3 Fire Separations listed on the compliance schedule.
The 2026 Code of Practice introduces a more structured and risk-based inspection methodology for passive fire protection systems. It recognises that many defects occur in concealed areas such as ceiling voids, risers, service penetrations and plant spaces where traditional visual BWOF inspections may not detect problems.
An assessment is required to ascertain the risk category of the building; the risk category determines how extensive the fire separation inspection must be. The Code identifies several key risk factors that are scored to assign a building to a low, medium, or high-risk category, and flow charts state a required sample test percentage, there is also set criteria to categorise issues found.
Impact on BWOF inspections
1. Greater focus on fire separation integrity
IQPs are expected to look beyond visible walls and doors and
consider whether:
- Recent fit-outs have penetrated fire-rated barriers.
- New services (data, plumbing, HVAC, fibre, electrical) have breached fire separations.
- Previous maintenance work has compromised
compartmentation. - Concealed passive fire systems remain compliant.
This means building owners may be asked for more information about recent alterations before a Form 12A can be issued.
2. Risk-based sampling requirements
The new Code introduces guidance on selecting representative fire separations for inspection rather than simply inspecting convenient locations.
For higher-risk buildings, a defined percentage of floors or fire compartments may need to be inspected, with sampling distributed throughout the building and across different occupancies.
For example:
- High-risk buildings require a larger sample size.
- Multi-storey buildings require inspections spread through the building.
- Mixed-use buildings require inspection of each occupancy type.
3. More defects likely to be identified
The Code specifically targets common passive fire failures such as:
- Unsealed service penetrations.
- Incomplete fire-rated walls above ceilings.
- Damaged fire stopping.
- Altered fire compartments.
- Missing or non-compliant fire dampers.
- Defective fire doors and smoke seals.
As a result, building owners may see an increase in remedial work being identified during BWOF inspections, a full building inspection may be recommended.
FFP will provide you with a best-cost option to remediate any deficiencies in your fire ratings within the building.
Our passive fire team will be in touch to arrange an inspection in due course and work a methodology to return the building to full compliance, at times this may require correspondence with the council, to set up a repair strategy.
