NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

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 / New Zealand

Police defence of decision not to lay charges over CTV quake disaster further angers families

Kurt Bayer
By Kurt Bayer
South Island Head of News·NZ Herald·
17 Apr, 2018 05:54 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Outrage at government's decision on CTV building collapse
Families of CTV building victims call decision not to prosecute 'offensive'. ...
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
0:00
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • subtitles settings, opens subtitles settings dialog
    • subtitles off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Flames shoot into the air in Blockhouse Bay

      UP NEXT:

      Autoplay in
      4
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      Families of CTV building victims call decision not to prosecute 'offensive'.
      NOW PLAYING • Outrage at government's decision on CTV building collapse
      Families of CTV building victims call decision not to prosecute 'offensive'. ...

      A move by New Zealand Police to today defend its decision not to lay manslaughter charges over the 2011 Canterbury Television building collapse in Christchurch despite "significant" design deficiencies has further angered grieving families.

      Professor Maan Alkaisi, on behalf of the CTV Families, said at a press conference last week in Christchurch, held near the CTV Building site where 115 people died when it pancaked during the magnitude-6.3 earthquake of February 22, 2011, that "significant evidence" and critical issues were not considered when the decision not to lay charges was made.

      Police announced last November that it will not pursue criminal charges – a decision made after lengthy "complex, technical" investigation involving expert engineering advice, reconstruction and examination of structural elements of the building, excavation of the CTV site, plus legal reviews by the Christchurch Crown Solicitor and Crown Law.

      The decision dismayed many families of loved ones who died in the tragedy.

      Now, police have issued a statement in response to the families' calls to review the move.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Detective Superintendent Peter Read, who led the lengthy probe, said police stood by their view that the decision not to prosecute was correct when all the relevant evidence and opinions were taken into account.

      A move by New Zealand Police to today defend its decision not to lay manslaughter charges over the 2011 CTV building collapse in Christchurch has further angered grieving families. Photo / Geoff Sloan
      A move by New Zealand Police to today defend its decision not to lay manslaughter charges over the 2011 CTV building collapse in Christchurch has further angered grieving families. Photo / Geoff Sloan

      "The decision not to prosecute was made by police after considering the advice of the Christchurch Crown Solicitor and the Deputy Solicitor-General and meeting with them to discuss that advice," he said in the unsolicited statement.

      Alkaisi said on behalf of the families that the Deputy Solicitor-General did not appear to be aware of all the relevant facts regarding the decision and emphasised that there had been opportunities to rectify design problems in the building, but which the families believed the Deputy Solicitor-General was not aware of.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Both of these matters were "expressly considered" by the Crown Solicitor in his report and the Deputy Solicitor-General in his peer review, police said.

      "Those matters were also addressed in the Canterbury Earthquake Royal Commission report, the Beca report and the police report - all of which were considered as part of the investigation and decision making process," Read said.

      The statement acknowledged that police did "fully agree'' that there were significant deficiencies in the building's design. Those deficiencies were all noted as part of the initial police investigation and by the Royal Commission and was also considered by expert opinions sought at the time.

      "However the Deputy Solicitor-General and ultimately the Crown Solicitor and police considered the evidential test was not met," Read said.

      Discover more

      New Zealand

      Families of CTV victims welcome apology

      07 Aug 06:53 PM
      New Zealand

      CTV inquiry: Columns lacked sufficient reinforcing

      09 Aug 07:37 AM
      New Zealand

      CTV: Design firm's blunders blamed

      05 Sep 07:22 AM
      New Zealand|politics

      Government to repeal 'year and a day' law

      19 Mar 03:21 AM

      "Police concluded, and remain satisfied, that there was no reasonable prospect of obtaining a conviction in this case."

      Police acknowledged it has been a difficult time for the families of those killed.

      Emergency services search the rubble of the collapsed CTV building for survivors. Photo / Brett Phibbs
      Emergency services search the rubble of the collapsed CTV building for survivors. Photo / Brett Phibbs

      "We have tried to be as open and transparent as we can in publishing information to assist in their understanding of the complex, technical issues involved.''

      Today, Alkaisi was angered and disappointed by the police statement.

      "I wrote the letter and supporting affidavits to the Attorney-General, so I was expecting a response from the Attorney-general, not police. I did not send any document to police, or the Deputy Solicitor-General, or Crown Law," said Alkaisi, whose wife Maysoon Abbas died in the collapse.

      Attorney-General David Parker this afternoon confirmed to the Herald that he had received a request from Alkaisi that he direct the Solicitor-General to reconsider the police's decision to not prosecute the engineers involved in the design of the CTV building.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      However, Parker said: "It is not appropriate for me to engage in prosecution decisions in individual cases or to make such a request of the Solicitor-General. I have forwarded the request to the Solicitor-General for her consideration."

      Alkaisi says that before New Zealand Police released its statement this afternoon, he had not received any response from anyone regarding his appeal for a review.

      And now he remains unsure whether his request is still under consideration.

      "You would think the 115 lives deserve some respect," he said.

      "How do you trust the system when the top lawyers behave like this? How do you trust that all of the facts have really been taken into consideration.

      "Why didn't they ask me before releasing any statements to discuss any points I may have? They have immediately dismissed the whole thing.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      "After seven years [since the quake] and 16 officers, including a solicitor, spent three years on the case, they came up with the decision to go ahead with 115 manslaughter charges. What was the new evidence that goes against all the other evidence that we have? To this day, I still don't know what their argument is to not go ahead with the prosecution. Tell us so that everybody knows."

      Save
        Share this article

      Latest from New Zealand

      Opinion
      |Updated

      NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

      Premium
      CartoonsRod Emmerson

      Rod Emmerson’s cartoons: Week of July 21 - 27

      New Zealand

      Sky NZ CEO on the decision to buy Three and Disco for $1

      Watch

      Sponsored

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Recommended for you

      NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today
      New Zealand

      NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

      Hungry and exhausted, AFP journalists document Gaza war
      World

      Hungry and exhausted, AFP journalists document Gaza war

      Diogo Jota's grieving widow's heartbreaking tribute to late husband
      Sport

      Diogo Jota's grieving widow's heartbreaking tribute to late husband

      Opinion: The rise and fall of open-plan classrooms in NZ schools
      Opinion

      Opinion: The rise and fall of open-plan classrooms in NZ schools

      'Continuation of a witch hunt': Trump on Epstein documents
      World

      'Continuation of a witch hunt': Trump on Epstein documents

      Nathan Limm: Kelly Jackson is the Silver Ferns' best choice for captain
      Nathan Limm
      OpinionNathan Limm

      Nathan Limm: Kelly Jackson is the Silver Ferns' best choice for captain



      Latest from New Zealand

      NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today
      Opinion
      |Updated

      NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

      Want to have your say on our stories? Here's how.

      22 Jul 09:16 PM
      Premium
      Premium
      Rod Emmerson’s cartoons: Week of July 21 - 27
      Rod Emmerson
      CartoonsRod Emmerson

      Rod Emmerson’s cartoons: Week of July 21 - 27

      22 Jul 08:02 PM
      Sky NZ CEO on the decision to buy Three and Disco for $1
      New Zealand

      Sky NZ CEO on the decision to buy Three and Disco for $1

      Watch
      22 Jul 07:57 PM


      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
      Sponsored

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

      06 Jul 09:47 PM

      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
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • 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
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
      Subscribe now

      All Access Weekly

      From $2 per week
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All Access Annual

      Pay just
      $449
      $49
      per year ongoing
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search