Deal agreed to stop stadium leaks

Westpac Trust Stadium. Photo / NZ Herald

Legal action has been averted over leaks at Wellington's Westpac Stadium, with the trust which runs it reaching a settlement with builders Fletcher Construction.

As a result the stadium will be completely reclad in time for next year's Rugby World Cup.

In December last year the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust filed a damages claim for almost $5 million, just one day before the deadline of 10 years from when the code of compliance certificate was issued.

Stadium chief executive David Gray said then that the roof was a major problem, with leaks around the stadium, including some over the seating areas.

Other internal leaks were causing water damage, he said. Cladding problems included rust, and the wrong screws being used.

Today the trust and Fletcher Construction announced they had completed negotiations.

"Agreement has been reached regarding modification to specific aspects of the design detail and some of the cladding," Mr Gray said.

"The trust has also taken the opportunity to totally reclad the stadium in anticipation of next year's tournament."

Mr Gray said the trust was committed to maintaining the facility as New Zealand's leading stadium.

"We are delighted that Fletcher Construction will manage the project and the recladding exercise.

"Nobody knows our stadium better than them, given they built our state-of-the-art building on time and on budget 10 years ago," he said.

It was anticipated the project would be finished by August next year and the work would have minimal impact on the stadium's full events schedule. The trust's contribution to the solution and enhancements would be covered within existing budgets.

"We are delighted that through commonsense and goodwill from all parties we have been able to deliver a satisfactory outcome for the trust," Fletcher Building infrastructure division chief executive Mark Binns said.

Mr Gray said the trust looked forward to hosting five Rugby World Cup pool games and two quarterfinals next year.

Problems with leaks were first noticed about four years after the stadium was built, and negotiations over who would foot the bill had been continued for about five years before the trust lodged its claim in December.

- NZPA