Southland Stadium designer expelled from IPENZ

Heavy snow caused Stadium Southland's roof to collapse during a weekend storm in 2010. File photo / APN

The designer of the Southland Stadium, the roof of which collapsed under heavy snow in 2010, has been expelled from the Institution of Professional Engineers NZ.

Anthony Stanley Major of Invercargill was responsible for the design and oversaw the construction of the stadium between 1999 and 2000.

The roof structures over the main section of the stadium collapsed after a snow storm on 18 September, 2010.

Mr Major was found to have been both negligent and incompetent in his actions at a disciplinary hearing last December, IPENZ chief executive Andrew Cleland said.

The Disciplinary Committee said it was a publicly accessible building capable of holding over 2500 people and Mr Major had failed to protect the health and safety of the public by his "casual attitude" to his professional engineering activities at the time, Dr Cleland said.

The committee also found that Mr Major breached the IPENZ Code of Ethics and his attitude and competencies remained below the current standards for a Professional Member of IPENZ.

Mr Major appealed the determination, but that was dismissed last Wednesday.

"Expulsion from Membership indicates a very serious breach of the standards the profession expects to be upheld," Dr Cleland said.

"As a membership body it is our highest level of sanction."

Along with expulsion, Mr Major was required to pay the institution the full amount of its costs and expenses in the inquiry and disciplinary process.

A public notice would also be issued to newspapers in Southland and Otago.