Ex-PM in leaky home club

Mike Moore's problems with his Maraetai home gives him something in common with former National PM Jenny Shipley. Photo / Greg Bowker

The million-dollar Auckland beachfront home of former Prime Minister Mike Moore has major leak problems.

Manukau City Council yesterday revealed issues with the property overlooking the golden stretch of beachfront at Maraetai.

"There has been a building consent issued for remedial work related to it being a leaky building. Also, there is a claim before the High Court which the council is a party to," a council spokesman said.

Mr Moore is listed by Quotable Value as the house owner with his wife, Yvonne Moore.

The $1 million house overlooking Tamaki Strait is at Omana Beach, near Beachlands and Pine Harbour.

Mr Moore refused to discuss the nature of the problems but confirmed he was working through "legal issues".

The Omana Esplanade house is in a prime spot two houses from a popular reserve.

Mr Moore is not the first former Prime Minister to own a problem place.

Dame Jenny Shipley's upmarket townhouse near Auckland Domain also leaked. It was built by Mainzeal, owned by Richina Pacific, which she chairs. Extensive repairs have been made to her home this year.

In March, the Herald reported the multimillion-dollar fix-up was almost finished. The windows of the eight-storey 15-year-old Parkwood apartment block in Newmarket were removed and and replaced.

Residents of the block at the Morgan St/George St intersection were then off to the courts, seeking between $3 million and $5 million compensation for major building defects.

QV lists the Moores' beachfront house as having a value for rates purposes of $1 million: $830,000 for the 809sq m section but only $170,000 for the house.

The property's sale history shows a steeply climbing value. It was sold in 1987 for $240,000 then in 1990 for $325,000, 1993 for $307,000, 1997 for $238,000, 1999 for $518,000 and 2003 for $1 million.

A few weeks ago, Mr Moore gave the opening address at the Property Council's annual conference of leading real estate investors at SkyCity.

This month, mayors from the six worst affected leaky home areas pleaded with the Government to increase its offer of paying 10 per cent of the estimated $11.6 billion to $20 billion cost of fixing the nationwide problem.

Former Fletcher Building chief executive Ralph Waters had leak problems at his Auckland house.

One of the country's flashest mansions also had leak issues. The house in Gibbons Rd, Takapuna, set a sales record in 2004 but it was at the centre of weathertightness litigation.

More than 73 schools and many other public buildings leak.