Water leaks into ex-mayoral mansion

By ANDREW LAXON

Auckland mayor John Banks' former Paritai Drive mansion has become the latest victim of the leaky building crisis.

The palatial home - which overlooks the Waitemata Harbour and is thought to be worth about $4 million - is now covered by a giant tarpaulin as builders repair widespread leaks discovered in May last year.

Mr Banks sold the house about three years ago to the present owners, who yesterday said they did not want to talk about the problem.

But they stressed that Mr Banks, who now lives in Remuera, was not to blame.

The rebuilding work responsible for the leaks was done in the mid-1990s, years before he bought the house, and the leaks did not become apparent until after he had moved out.

Mr Banks told the Herald he had been forced to spend $60,000 to stop waste water seeping into the basement.

He had seen no sign that the building leaked in the rain.

He estimated the latest repairs could cost up to $250,000 but predicted the Orakei house would still be worth about $4 million to the owners because of its magnificent position.

"I have considerable sympathy for them because they're such nice people," he said. "I have sympathy for everyone, whether they live in Paritai Drive or the back of Otahuhu, who in good faith have bought a home and find themselves saddled with this expense."

The Auckland City Council could face legal action over the building inspection which passed the faulty work on the house in the mid-1990s. Councils and builders are the usual targets for owners trying to recover their repair costs.

Mr Banks said he was not concerned at this prospect and would not try to influence the process.

The former Whangarei MP, whose personal wealth was estimated at $16 million in last year's National Business Review rich list, said he sold the Paritai Drive house mainly to move his children within walking distance of their private schools in Remuera.

He said he was also sick of harassment and having tour guides point out his home to coachloads of tourists. He had no idea when he moved to Auckland from Whangarei that Paritai Drive was such a high-profile address.

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