Government vows to act on leaks report

By MATHEW DEARNALEY

Government ministers are promising a firm response to a hard-hitting report on the leaky buildings crisis.

An independent inquiry commissioned by the Building Industry Association is expected to confirm an interim finding that the industry faces a "major systemic breakdown" unless swift action is taken.

The Government will be under pressure to set new standards to ensure watertight buildings, with steep price hikes likely if it orders a return to chemically treated timber framing as a last defence against leaks and rot.

Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins will find the report on his Beehive desk on Monday morning after it was approved late yesterday by the industry association's eight-member board.

It is expected to be made public on Tuesday, and Mr Hawkins is unwilling in the meantime to suggest solutions to the crisis.

A spokeswoman told the Weekend Herald he did not want to pre-empt the report's public release, but he was very concerned about the stream of revelations on rotting homes, and he would oversee a co-ordinated Government response.

The building authority appointed an independent three-member team to tackle the crisis, chaired by former State Services Commissioner Don Hunn, with former Victoria University architecture dean David Kernohan and engineering consultant Ian Bond.

Environment Minister Marian Hobbs, who has had urban affairs added to her portfolio, said she looked forward to working with Mr Hawkins on the emergency.

Her concerns were with the level of monitoring of building developments by local body inspectors, and of liability and insurance issues.

Approaches from lawyers and architects involved with leaky buildings in Wellington made her acutely aware it was a national problem, and not just a symptom of Auckland's rapid growth.

Consumer Affairs Minister Judith Tizard said she had always had deep reservations about a change to building standards in 1996 to allow kiln-dried timber in housing frames, but needed to read the report before discussing remedies.

As an outvoted member of a select committee which approved the change, and the sister of a builder, she could never see how buildings could be guaranteed watertight.

This was despite a "very laudable desire" by the Building Industry Authority to get away from highly poisonous treatment chemicals.

She was worried both for the plight of home owners and the international impact of the problem on New Zealand pine exports.

Housing Minister Mark Gosche said his responsibilities were mainly for the state housing stock and tenancy protection, but he was concerned about the impact of leaky building developments on these.

Damp houses were also fertile ground for disputes between tenants and landlords.

Mr Gosche said buying higher-quality building materials paid dividends through lower maintenance expenses, as demonstrated by improvements made to state houses since Labour took office in 1999.

Welcoming the Herald's efforts to uncover the leaky buildings problem, he said he believed the whole industry needed to be scrutinised, and that every New Zealander would support a tightening of the Building Act.

Auckland Mayor John Banks said he was concerned for people whose life savings were at risk in rotting buildings, and for the wider community.

Local councils were already being forced to spend time and money on disputes over "cheap and nasty developments" and he feared everyone would end up paying the price.

"There is far too much time being spent on crass developments."

These included Auckland waterfront apartment blocks which the mayor likened to a "post-Beirut reconstruction" interspersed with "chew and spew" restaurants.

Although still a fan of the free market, he said: "We must be ever vigilant that we don't wreck the city landscape with developments that are fundamentally obscene to our heritage."

Auckland Regional Council chairwoman Gwen Bull said that although the problem was by no means confined to high-intensity housing, she was concerned it could undermine public support for the regional growth strategy.

The regional council had made submissions to the Government in support of better building designs, such as the provision of eaves to keep rain off walls, and had joined the North Shore City Council in producing an apartment buyers' guide.

Mrs Bull suggested that New Zealanders, and Aucklanders in particular, should avoid buying houses not suited to a rainy climate.

Building Industry Authority chief executive Bill Porteous said the decision in 1996 to drop the compulsory use of treated timber in wall frames required builders to guarantee that rain would not get in.

It was in response to concerns about warping in treated timber as it dried out, and there was considerable pressure at the time to reduce the environmental impact of treatment chemicals.

* If you have information about leaking buildings,
email the Herald or fax (09) 373-6421.

Further reading
Feature: Leaky buildings

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