Council declines to adopt "alarmist" approach

The Queenstown Lakes District Council has refrained from adopting an alarmist approach to central government’s recent round of consultation on earth quake prone buildings, QLDC Mayor Vanessa van Uden said.

Last week the Council submitted in response to the consultation document released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

“What we have seen is a genuine attempt by central government to comprehend the issues and seek input from local government, building owners, and the communities who use these buildings. It’s not in anyone’s interest, and I don’t believe its central government’s intention, to hamstring communities with unworkable solutions and cost. The approach needs to be entirely affordable and entirely pragmatic,” Mayor van Uden said.

The Council had not participated in a regional submission because QLDC did not face the same extent of issues as other Councils.

“A large proportion of this district’s buildings are modern stock, less are constructed with unreinforced masonry, and most tend to be only single or double storey.

Council’s own estimation of the number of buildings requiring upgrade or demolition, are substantially different to other purported regional figures,” she said.

Council endorsed the development of a risk-based initial assessment process, for which it estimated costs for Council to be in the hundreds of thousands rather than millions, but more work needed to be done on the details around assessment, risk and strengthening.

“We are also aware that many building owners have already taken a proactive approach and have simply got on with strengthening buildings in the district,” Mayor van Uden said.

The Council welcomed further discussion with central government on what the appropriate level was to upgrade older buildings, on an affordable and pragmatic basis.

In the meantime anyone who wanted to discuss individual buildings should contact the building owner in the first instance.

ENDS

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Independent Police Conduct Authority Chair Judge Sir David Carruthers said today that the decision by the then Commissioner of Police to undertake the operation in Ruatoki Valley and elsewhere on 15 October 2007 was reasonable and justified.

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