Twelve councils from the South Island are joining the Auckland Council and opposing legislation targeting earthquake-prone buildings.
The bill requires councils to assess such buildings within five years and have them strengthened or demolished no later than 15 years after that.
Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says the bill will ensure quake-prone buildings are dealt with through a nationally consistent system.
But Dunedin mayor Dave Cull says it would devastate small communities.
He says rural towns could be wiped out by the economic impact of the legislation.
"It's not careful enough about how it assesses what the risks are and how you then target carefully what the communities can afford."
Mr Cull says councils need more power to deal with earthquake-prone buildings.
