Tauranga City Council abandoned the construction due to the issues and extent of remedial work required, says general manager infrastructure Nic Johansson.
The site was eventually sold to a subsidiary of the original construction company Watts and Hughes for $1, for remediation and redevelopment.
The council laid a complaint with Engineering New Zealand about the conduct of three engineers involved in the project. ENZ is the national organisation for more than 22,000 engineers.
“The council relied on qualified engineers to design and peer review the building prior to construction.”
The complaint was investigated by the Engineering New Zealand’s investigating committee, which referred it to their disciplinary committee.
Last month, the investigation committee resolved matters relating to one of the engineers, said Johansson.
An agreed statement of facts has been filed and the disciplinary committee would consider the liability of that engineer based on that evidence.
Tauranga City Council general manager infrastructure Nic Johansson. Photo / Alex Cairns
The hearing would also consider whether the other two engineers undertook engineering activities outside of their competency and if they failed to undertake engineering work in a careful and competent manner, in breach of chartered professional engineer rules and the ENZ code of ethical conduct.
Evidence from former council staff and a range of experts would be presented at the hearing.
There was no set time for a decision to be released after the hearing, said ENZ general manager Justin Brownlie.
If the complaints were upheld, penalties included removing or suspending the engineers’ registration, censuring the engineers, and/or a maximum fine of $5000, according to the ENZ website.
Only upheld decisions would be published, but this was decided by the disciplinary committee, says Brownlie.
The Harington transport hub site in March 2024 after construction of Panorama Towers began. Photo / John Borren
Timeline of the failed transport hub
Construction of the $29m Harington Transport Hub began in June 2018.
In March2019 the structure was 20m high when a beam twisted during a concrete pour, triggering concern.
Between June and July 2019 seismic design problems were revealed. A high-level structural review showed floor, column and bracing weaknesses.
In September 2019 construction was halted and later that year work began on a remedial strengthening design.
By May 2020 the construction company and engineering firms could not agree on a strengthening design, according to documents obtained from the council.
In June 2020 a closed-door meeting was held with the mayor and councillors to decide the hub’s fate. A decision to abandon the project was made because of the “prohibitive cost” of remediation. An estimate to demolish the building was $26.5m, structural remediation would have cost $55.4m, and demolition and rebuild was costed at $64.4m, according to a report from TSA Project Management.
In March 2021 the site was sold for $1 to Waibop (Hamilton) Limited - a subsidiary of the original construction company Watts and Hughes. The agreement meant the new owner would take responsibility for the property and existing structure. Unused materials and structural steel purchased for use in the building, plus a negotiated settlement for the cancellation of the construction contract, resulted in a final payment to the council of $200,000.
In November 2021 the new owners Watts and Hughes applied for resource consent for Panorama Towers, a 14-storey office and commercial development with 330 car parks.
