Hawkins hints at more help over leaking homes, but no compensation

11.45am

The Government has hinted at more initiatives to help owners of leaky homes but has repeated its stand that there will be no government compensation.

"We most certainly will look at further problems and resolutions and that is why we have got the panel of experts working in Wellington," Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins said at a conference of building industry leaders in Auckland today.

The Government is establishing a mediation service to help home owners facing huge repairs bills, some more than $100,000, to stop the leaks and repair the rot.

Mr Hawkins would not elaborate on what else the Government planned, saying he was still waiting for the final report from Don Hunn who has presented the Government with an initial report on leaking buildings.

The minister said the conference in Auckland today was about moving forward and making sure no more leaking buildings were built, rather than focusing on how to help owners with existing rotting buildings.

"This meeting is about the future, about helping people who will be building houses in the future so we don't have more problems.

"We are looking to solve the problems that are systemic in the building industry at the moment. This meeting is just one part of that."

He said the Government wanted to give owners of rotten buildings redress but it would not be in the form of government compensation.

"What we will be doing is provide a service for them where they can have their building assessed and develop from there a plan to put things right."

Mr Hawkins said his advice to those people who needed money urgently to fix problems should wait.

"It is going to take a few weeks. The problem has taken many years to develop. It will take a few weeks until we get the report on how to move forward from this.

"I can say to most people 'wait'. The Government is working on the problem on how to overcome the problems they have."

Before the conference opened Mr Hunn, a former state services commissioner who led the government inquiry into leaking homes, told NZPA it was important to make mediation as attractive to home owners as possible.

"This whole question of liability, and what is going to be done about it, is the first part but that is not what today is about. Today is about looking at why we have built these sort of houses and what we are going to do about building better houses in the future."

Mr Hunn said once the industry accepted there was a problem with building materials and systems, they would have to solve it.

He also said the industry had to examine what was needed to convince the public that weathertight buildings were possible.

"There has got to be a general acceptance that there is a problem and that the industry itself has to take responsibility for that problem."

Part of taking responsibility was determining who paid for restoration but it was not the only aspect, he said.

Mr Hunn also said that people were increasingly understanding that in New Zealand's climate a house could not be built to keep all water out.

He said weatherboard houses were very draughty.

"That simple proposition is starting to be accepted," Mr Hunn said.

He said if the principles of building changed, the regulations needed to reflect that and that was the Government's responsibility.

- NZPA

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Further reading
Feature: Leaky buildings

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