Fletcher distances itself from problems with 'dangerous' Taranaki stadium

Yarrow Stadium, now condemend. Photo/Alan Gibson

Fletcher Construction says it wasn't involved in the design or assessment of geotechnical issues at New Plymouth's Yarrow Stadium, which has since been shut on account of being dangerous.

Fletcher built the stands in 2002 in an upgrade of around $16 million but only 16 years later, those have been deemed unsafe after investigations into seismic and geotechnical issues.

However, a Fletcher spokesperson said yesterday the scope of the construction contract was limited and the business was not involved in any geotechnical investigations at the grounds at the time it carried out the work.

Mike Nield, a Taranaki Stadium Trust trustee, said: "The entire stadium is now shut: both stands and the terraces. But the facilities have not been condemned and no decision has been made about the future of the facility."

Because people were no longer allowed into the Yarrow Stadium, Nield said it would be acceptable to say it was dangerous but he took strong issue with reports that the facility was condemned. No decision had been taken about what to do next, he stressed, and no buildings were condemned.

Nield said Yarrow had capacity for about 23,000 people: "The trust is considering a full range of options including legal action. Early indications are that there are issues with the design rather than the build."

The Fletcher spokesperson said the company did not design the stands.

"We can confirm that for the East Stand project and the West Stand extension project we had build-only contracts. We were not contracted to undertake design or geotech work on either project," the spokesperson said.

That was in reply to a series of questions sent to Fletcher Construction which asked:

• What warranties or guarantees were there on the Fletcher work there and how long do they last for?

• What seismic strengthening was put into the buildings, particularly the West Stand where ground stability of the bank beneath was found to be a significant earthquake risk?

• What geotech work was done by FC (or a contractor) on the ground conditions before construction?

• Has Fletcher looked at the work it did there lately and what has it found? Did it contribute to the report done on this which resulted in the closure?

• Had any independent reports been commissioned by FC on this?

In reply, the spokesperson said Fletcher Construction was not directly involved in any on-going role with the stadium and had not seen the report which has resulted in the stadium being closed.

"We have not seen a copy of the report and are not involved in any investigations," the spokesperson said.

On Wednesday, the Taranaki Stadium Trust said the area's rugby team was now without a home after its buildings were closed because of safety issues.

"A safety-first approach is behind the decision to make Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth unavailable as the Mitre 10 Cup home base for the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls in 2018," the statement said.

"The stadium owner, the Taranaki Stadium Trust, says geotechnical testing on the stadium's West Stand showed the ground stability of the bank beneath it was a significant earthquake risk. Reports into the West Stand were commissioned after a November report found the stadium's East Stand was earthquake-prone," it said.

The facility had been lauded as the world's third-best rugby stadium, better than Twickenham, Eden Park or Wellington's Cake Tin. In 2009, New Zealand Rugby World magazine rated the stadium in the top three rugby venues in the world, behind only Millennium Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, and Suncorp Stadium, in Brisbane.

But this week, people were asking how long the stands had been unsafe.

Wednesday's statement said: "It's a real blow and we apologise to everyone involved. The Trust informed key partners, including the TRFU, of the report's findings yesterday," Nield said.

Nield said it was too early to speculate on the future of the stadium but the TST would continue investigating the next steps.

"This is a blow but we remain committed to having a facility in Taranaki capable of hosting top-flight sporting events. We'll be looking at our options and while the loss of Yarrow for 2018 is a setback, it gives us opportunities to look at some of the different choices available to us," Nield said in the statement.

Yarrow Stadium is owned by the Taranaki Stadium Trust and operated by the New Plymouth District Council which is offering its support to its partners.

"This is hugely disappointing for players and fans who will be inconvenienced but safety comes first," said Kelvin Wright, the council's chief operating officer.

"We take public and staff safety very seriously and have taken a proactive approach ever since issues were first discovered."