Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Hundertwasser project building deconstruction pauses to address asbestos

Danica MacLean
By Danica MacLean
Multimedia Journalist, Newstalk ZB·Northern Advocate·
2 Aug, 2018 08:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Work continues to deconstruct the Old Harbour Board Building. Photo/John Stone

Work continues to deconstruct the Old Harbour Board Building. Photo/John Stone

Deconstruction work on the Old Harbour Board building for the Hundertwasser project in central Whangārei has picked back up after stopping to focus on asbestos.

Project spokesman Greg Hay said work had stopped last week while the asbestos removal plan was reviewed.

He said the contractors always had the knowledge there was asbestos in the building, but it was a case of working out the best way to deal with it once they had reached it.

Read more: First cruise ship at Northport will arrive for Hundertwasser and hotel opening
Deconstruction work starts on Whangarei Hundertwasser site

"They didn't quite know what they were dealing with until they got to it."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He said the asbestos was in the bricks below the ground of the Old Harbour Board Building.

Hay said the decision was made to stop the machinery and take things out by hand.

He said there was around 50 cubic metres of bricks with asbestos.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hay said extra safety precautions were taken, including extra spraying and monitoring, and the bricks concerned were packaged up and taken away according to regulations.

The deconstruction process is in full swing, with uncontaminated bricks from above ground being taken to the recycling centre at the Old Army Hall where a team of volunteers are chipping off the mortar.

John Park chips away at a large pile of bricks from the Old Harbour Board building outside the Old Army Hall on Walton St. Photo/John Stone
John Park chips away at a large pile of bricks from the Old Harbour Board building outside the Old Army Hall on Walton St. Photo/John Stone

A rough estimate of 15,000 bricks will be reused as part of the Hundertwasser building on the same site.

Hay said people can expect to see activity to pick back up at the site this week.

Discover more

Ratepayers to stump up $150K to demolish asbestos-ridden shed

27 May 12:30 AM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Kaipara museums get first council funding - and a debt wipe for Mangawhai

10 Jul 05:00 PM
Northern Advocate

Fresh flood threat as heavy rain, thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for new deluge

10 Jul 05:00 PM
Northern Advocate

How a sinking pallet raft set one teen on a journey to sailing success

10 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Kaipara museums get first council funding - and a debt wipe for Mangawhai

Kaipara museums get first council funding - and a debt wipe for Mangawhai

10 Jul 05:00 PM

A targeted rate will generate about $213,000 to be split among three museums.

Fresh flood threat as heavy rain, thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for new deluge

Fresh flood threat as heavy rain, thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for new deluge

10 Jul 05:00 PM
How a sinking pallet raft set one teen on a journey to sailing success

How a sinking pallet raft set one teen on a journey to sailing success

10 Jul 05:00 PM
'Lives are seriously at risk': Residents call for NZTA action at notorious crossing

'Lives are seriously at risk': Residents call for NZTA action at notorious crossing

10 Jul 05:29 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP