The possibility of foundation rocking of shear wall structures designed to NZS 4203 is discussed. Theory developed by Housner for the free rocking of a rigid block is compared with experimental results from a simple structural model with a number of different foundation conditions. A simple design method for assessing maximum rocking displacements, using equivalent elastic characteristics and a response-spectra approach is proposed, and compared with results from simulated seismic excitation of the model using an electro-hydraulic shake-table. A typical design example is included.