Newly-released surveys reveal many high-rise buildings in Wellington and Auckland did not meet earthquake standards in preventing occupants being hit by objects.
One report, by engineering and consultancy firm Beca, said non-structural elements are a considerable risk in earthquakes, causing up to two thirds of all injuries.
It was also found that all of the buildings surveyed in Auckland had inadequate bracing of fire sprinklers and pipes, while 73 per cent of those in Wellington were also inadequate.
Radio New Zealand today reported on several 2016 reports they received from Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), which were conducted to investigate anecdotal accounts of widespread damage to ceilings and sprinkler systems during recent earthquakes.
Details released by the MBIE reveal non-compliance in securing non-structural elements in buildings against earthquakes was reported to the ministry in 2016.
Non-structural elements of a building include anything which is attached to a building, but isn't part of its actual shell, including exterior cladding, ceilings, partitions, stairs, air conditioning, ducts, lifts, escalators, transformers, lighting, cable trays, sprinkler systems, piping, plumbing and more.
Another report by engineering firm Kevin O'Connor and Associates (KOA) examined 41 floors in 20 commercial buildings more than four storeys high in Auckland and Wellington.
In addition, 89 per cent of ceilings in the buildings surveyed in both cities were poorly secured, as were 85 per cent of partition walls.
With some buildings having ceiling tiles weighing between 3kg and 8kg, KOE recommended to MBIE that they reassess their assumption that occupants would be OK as long as they got under their desks during a quake.
KOA also said there was "very little consent documentation for non-structural elements".
Another report released to RNZ by engineering firm Opus called current building industry standards for securing non-structural elements "fragmented" - but MBIE told RNZ it has ordered an overhaul of the current relevant standards.
MBIE also said there are seminars, a code of practice and training available aimed at improving the securing of the elements.
The Opus report recommended that enforcement be implemented to check the securing of non-structural elements in new buildings - enforcement currently only relies on complying with health and safety laws.
Opus reported that retrofitting existing buildings' non-structural elements to be fully secure in a quake would be "a huge task that can be very expensive".
However, for new buildings, Opus estimated that proper restraints on non-structural elements would have costed about $423m for the $9b of commercial construction carried out last year - about 4.7 per cent of the total cost.
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