Brothers at odds over head to roll

By CATHERINE MASTERS

One of the two brothers who first warned about the leaky buildings scandal says it is time for Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins to go.

The other brother says Mr Hawkins was treated appallingly by the Building Industry Authority and that its chief executive, Bill Porteous, is the one who should resign.

Greg and Phil O'Sullivan, of the building inspection company Prendos, have bombarded the BIA, politicians and the media with information about the dangers of untreated timber and rotting and leaking homes.

The National Party wants Mr Hawkins to resign for either knowing about the crisis, or failing to find out about it when he should have.

Mr Hawkins has said he was not formally informed of the problem until April 30 and that he relied on his paid officials to raise concerns with him.

Greg O'Sullivan said that this may be so, but that was no excuse for not taking notice of all the letters and countless articles in the Herald and trade magazines about the problem.

An open letter in July from Prendos had clearly warned Mr Hawkins and other industry leaders about the scale of the problem and that it would only get worse.

That warning had come true.

It also was clear the Government had no confidence left in the minister because the issue had been handed on to the Minister for Economic Development, Jim Anderton.

Phil O'Sullivan, however, said the BIA had not informed Mr Hawkins properly, although he could have asked more questions.

"He's been quite unfairly treated by the BIA as their minister."

Mr Hawkins had known the BIA was part of a steering group and would have thought there had been a problem and that it was being dealt with.

"I don't think there was any way a minister would have suspected the problem was going to become so big and so difficult."

Most of the fault lay with the BIA.

Until it got its act together, the people who had made bad decisions would continue making them.

"In terms of getting this problem sorted out ... we have to look at Bill Porteous ...

"At the end of the day, if George Hawkins went, so what."

Who knew what and when:

December 1998: Phil O'Sullivan, of the building inspection firm Prendos, sends the Building Industry Authority a six-page report on "Dry Rot in Monolithic Clad New Zealand Buildings". In it, he wrote: "I have little doubt that we are being confronted with a large proportion of modern buildings that leak."

April 2001:The building industry sets up a weathertight building steering group to investigate problems with rotting homes.

May, 2001: The Certified Builders Association discusses the extent of the problem.

May 26, 2001: A front page story in the Herald outlines problems with kiln-dried framing, saying a growing number of new homes are rotting.

May 26-June 2, 2001: The Herald runs a series of articles on rotting housing, including a guide on how to recognise the problem.

July 23, 2001: Prendos warns Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins and industry leaders about the scale of the problem, saying "this problem should not be ignored".

August 9, 2001: A letter from a worried building firm, HiTex Plastering Ltd, is sent to the Housing Minister, Mark Gosche. He forwarded it to Mr Hawkins, who replied to HiTex on September 7, 2001, saying the industry had set up a weathertight building steering committee. It says the questions raised by HiTex will be addressed. The letter is signed by Mr Hawkins.

August 17, 2001: BIA officials prepare a paper suggesting the need for a ministerial inquiry into the crisis.

August 24, 2001: The paper is presented to a BIA board meeting.

September 20, 2001: Mr Hawkins attends a meeting of the BIA.

March, 2002: The Herald reveals that experts are investigating the 93-unit Summerfield development, in Grey Lynn, for leaks.

March 26, 2002: The BIA sets up a three-man inquiry headed by former State Services Commissioner Don Hunn.

April 13, 2002: A front-page Herald story says the cost of the damp crisis could reach $1 billion. It reveals for the first time that dozens of big sites - totalling thousands of homes - are affected. Toxic mould problems are revealed.

Over the next five months the Herald detailed specific problems at more than 10 major sites.

April 30, 2002: Only now does George Hawkins say he was formally made aware of the problem - by the BIA.

May 2002: An interim report from Mr Hunn warns of "major systemic breakdown across the industry".

July 2002: The BIA admits considering a return to treated timber.

August 2002: The BIA issues a public safety warning over rotting balconies.

September 2002: The Hunn report finds clear evidence of significant and growing problem, and predicts a $240 million repair bill.

October, 2002: The Government announces mediation and arbitration for owners of leaky homes.

October 10, 2002: The Herald reveals that the BIA was warned for four years about the problem, but had done little to solve it.

October-November 2002: Mounting criticism of Government actions and especially questions about when George Hawkins knew of the crisis.




* If you have information about leaking buildings,
email the Herald or fax (09) 373-6421.

Herald feature: Leaky buildings

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