The 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes exposed deficiencies in building performance, particularly in terms of interrupted functionality, extensive downtime, and uneconomical repairability. Amid the increasingly acknowledged emphasis on improving building resilience, the post-earthquake recovery has witnessed the emergence of a series of low-damage designs for retrofitted and newly constructed buildings, alongside a growing recognition of a functionality-centric approach to building codes. By collecting data from a joint US- New Zealand study tour, this research identified the resilience practices that had taken place after the 2010/11 Canterbury earthquakes to enhance building seismic performance in New Zealand. A number of low-damage design solutions have been observed. However, their adoption has also been hindered by factors such as a lack of finance, evidence-based information, skills and expertise, and community engagement, compounded by complexities of legislation requirements. To foster functional recovery-oriented building performance, there needs to be a systemic approach, including 1) sufficient performance validation of more advanced building designs, 2) revisions to building codes to provide an enabling regulatory environment, 3) widespread public education and communication in building risk mitigation, and 4) accessible training programs provided by engineering professional organisations such as Engineering New Zealand (ENZ), New Zealand Society of Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE), and Structural Engineering Society New Zealand (SESOC) for engineers on low-damage design concepts and risk-targeted design for maintaining functionality.