103 Wellington buildings may have combustible cladding similar to Grenfell Tower

A Wellington City Council investigation has found 103 of the capital's buildings have the same potentially combustible cladding as London's Grenfell Tower, which burned down last year.

The council has been investigating the use of aluminium composite panels (ACPs) for the past few months. They've focused on the central city and surrounding suburbs.

A spokesman has now confirmed 103 buildings may have a type of ACP cladding on some part of the building, with most of them in the central city.

"At this stage we have found nothing that raises any concern.

"We will be continuing with our building assessments and inspections. The team will be considering any possible and potential risks associated with these buildings.

"This includes establishing what type of ACP panel has been used where possible, the amount of ACP and location of its use, the design of the building, and the life-safety features that the building has."

Wellington City Council is working with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to investigate the panels, with a dedicated team working on the project.

More affected buildings could still be uncovered as the investigation continues.

The discovery comes after Auckland Council identified 209 high-rise buildings which might have the cladding, in November last year.

At the time, the council's building consents general manager Ian McCormick said the issue was greater than they'd previously thought.

The UK's Grenfell Tower fire in June last year killed 71 people.

The Tower's aluminium panels had a flammable plastic core which experts have blamed for accelerating the fatal fire.

At the time, investigators said the cladding "failed all safety tests".