Hawkins hits back on leaks

By FRANCESCA MOLD, political reporter

A new document shows Building Industry Authority staff thought 15 months ago that someone might be killed because of rot in houses - but took no action.

The authority has admitted failing to tell Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins that its staff wanted a ministerial inquiry into leaky houses a year ago, with one memo raising the prospect of deaths.

The revelation emerged yesterday as the Opposition raised further questions about when Mr Hawkins first became aware of the rotting homes crisis.

National leader Bill English alleged in Parliament that the minister and the authority had been involved in a cover-up because they knew about the problem for more than a year but failed to act.

A clearly angry Mr Hawkins later "utterly rejected" Mr English's claim. He said the authority had not told him about the problem until April this year.

"If I had been told and done nothing, I most certainly would have been on very shaky ground. The fact is I didn't know, and I am blasted annoyed about it."

Authority chairman Barry Brown confirmed Mr Hawkins' account, saying the authority had alerted the minister in a letter written only in April.

The call for a ministerial inquiry into leaky buildings was contained in documents tabled by Mr English in Parliament yesterday.

In a report to the authority board in August last year, staff said an inquiry would show the building industry and the public that the Government was concerned. The board rejected the recommendation.

The report was followed a few days later, on August 28, by an internal memo from a staff member to chief executive Bill Porteous asking whether the authority was going to wait until a life was lost when a rotten balcony collapsed before it launched a major investigation.

The memo expressed concern that the issue was in grave danger of becoming bogged down.

That same day, Mr Hawkins signed a letter to building surveying firm Prendos replying to concerns it had raised a few weeks earlier about leaky building syndrome.

Then, in September, Mr Hawkins attended a meeting of the Building Industry Authority board.

Mr English said it was beyond belief that the minister had not been made aware of the problem at that meeting.

"It is simply implausible to believe that the minister went along to the BIA board meeting and did not have a discussion about a proposal for a ministerial inquiry."

He accused Mr Hawkins and Dr Porteous of deceiving New Zealanders and called for both to be sacked.

Mr Hawkins said the issue had not been raised during the 25 minutes he was present. He produced a note prepared by his private secretary which detailed the discussion at the meeting. It contained no reference to weathertightness issues.

At a press conference yesterday afternoon, a clearly angry Mr Hawkins said the issue of a ministerial inquiry had also never been raised with him.

He accused Mr English of distorting facts in an attempt to rescue his own failing career.

Mr Hawkins also revealed that he ordered the authority yesterday to respond within 24 hours to a letter he had sent three weeks ago asking for an explanation for its failure to alert him to the crisis.

He said he was "brassed off" that the authority had failed to respond quickly to his request for information.

A response from the authority arrived in his office about 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon.

A spokeswoman said the letter would not be released until Mr Hawkins had a chance to consider its contents and discuss it with other ministers.

Yesterday's furore came on the day the Government passed legislation to resolve the crisis.

The new law allows for a mediation and adjudication process to be set up so that homeowners can try to resolve their concerns without having to take legal action.

So far, 1062 people have called the toll-free number set up by the Government for the mediation/adjudication service.

Nearly half of the calls came from Greater Auckland.

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

Herald feature: Leaky buildings