Hawkins knew about rotting homes earlier, English claims

2.30pm

Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins knew about the rotting homes crisis seven months earlier than he has admitted, National Party leader Bill English claimed in Parliament today.

Under protection of parliamentary privilege, Mr English tabled the minutes of a Building Industry Authority (BIA) board meeting Mr Hawkins attended in September.

Minutes of the previous meeting accepted there outlined discussions over whether a ministerial inquiry into rotting homes should be held.

The BIA board decided it was not warranted, despite fears from its own staff that someone could be killed if it was not swiftly addressed.

Mr Hawkins had misled the House, Mr English said.

"Mr Hawkins has told the house he first knew about the crisis in April this year," he said, tabling a series of related documents.

Mr English demanded to know whether Mr Hawkins had received the minutes of the meeting where officials pleaded the case for the inquiry.

"I suggest he did, and at the very least he must have been told. Was he?"

If Mr Hawkins was not told then BIA boss Bill Porteous must lose his job, for failing to keep the minister informed.

"If he was, then the minister must also resign, given that he's told Parliament he wasn't 'formally' notified until April this year.

"I'm calling on him to confess, do the right thing and resign.

"The paper trail shows there's been a long campaign to keep the scale of the leaky homes crisis hidden from the public."

BIA staff had told their board last August there should be a ministerial inquiry, he said.


In August 2001, a paper went to the BIA board saying an inquiry would show the industry and the public that the Government was concerned.

The board did not back the inquiry, papers National obtained under the Official Information Act indicated.

Mr Hawkins was at a meeting that approved the minutes of the previous meeting, that had given a thumbs down to the inquiry, Mr English said.

"We got the minutes of that meeting. And guess who was at the meeting? At 10.20am the chairman of the BIA welcomed the Minister of Internal Affairs Honourable George Hawkins!"

"He's a goner," roared National Party MPs.

The minutes showed Mr Hawkins attended for 25 minutes, and departed after a brief discussion.

Mr English tabled an internal BIA memo dated August 28, 2001 that said "at this stage the staff are altering the authority of a potential crisis.

"What is the trigger of a major investigation, do we wait until someone loses their life from the collapse of a balcony, or when a bank is left with houses that need such major repairs that the owners walk out?"

Mr English made his allegations during the final debate of legislation setting up the Government's mediation service for owners of leaky homes.

National has previously claimed Mr Hawkins failed to take action when the issue was first raised with him, and as a result thousands more homes were constructed under a flawed building code.

The Government has ordered a select committee inquiry and has set up a voluntary mediation service for homeowners facing big bills to repair leaking and rotting houses.

Yesterday, National's housing spokesman, Wayne Mapp, produced a letter written to the minister on July 23, 2001, by the building inspection company Prendos Ltd.

It said it had been warning the industry for some time about problems with leakage and moisture behind cladding in modern building.

Dr Mapp also produced the reply Mr Hawkins sent, dated August 28, 2001. In it he said the industry had set up a group "to look at this issue".

Questioned about the letters, and when he first knew about the crisis, Mr Hawkins replied: "The Building Industry Authority did not formally advise me that they were treating this as an issue until the 30th April 2002."

As was usual with ministerial correspondence, the letter from Prendos Ltd was sent to the Department of Internal Affairs, which had forwarded it to the Building Industry Authority for a reply to be drafted.


Papers released by the National Party show the Weathertightness Buildings Steering Group, which was set up by the industry to manage the leaky homes issue, recommended a ministerial inquiry to "show the industry and the New Zealand public that Government is concerned".

The BIA could propose to its minister that an inquiry into the rotting houses issue was justified, it said.

The inquiry's broad terms of reference could include in-depth research to determine how big the problem was, examine products used in the industry and skill levels, training and supervision, and recommend solutions.

The group recommended the BIA consider the proposal for a ministerial inquiry "as a positive contribution to providing an accurate, sound and thorough analysis of the weathertightness situation in New Zealand houses that if not properly addressed could develop into a crisis."

- NZPA

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

Further reading
Feature: Leaky buildings

Related links