Four of Queenstown Lakes District Council’s (QLDC) Building Control Officers flew to Auckland on Thursday 2 February, all of whom volunteered to assist Auckland City Council in undertaking Rapid Building Assessments in the wake of recent flooding.

QLDC Building Services Manager, Chris English thanked Council’s Carmeny Field, Peter Meikle, Garth Swan, and Rhys Cunningham for their generosity and willingness to assist a community in need.

“We have an opportunity to help one of our fellow councils and their residents in a time of hardship, and I’m sure their presence in Auckland will be greatly appreciated,” said Mr English.

“All four officers will also gain valuable experience undertaking these Rapid Building Assessments. There’s no better practice than applying skills in real-life events, and we never know when that experience might be required closer to home.”

Mr English added some building inspections in the Queenstown Lakes District may face minor delays while staff assisted Auckland City Council, but QLDC would continue to process the inspections it could, with a return to normal operations next week.

“Our inspectors always work as hard as possible to meet MBIE guidelines for inspections, but also to meet the expectations of our community who use these services,” said Mr English.

“We appreciate the support and patience of our community while some of our team is in the North Island. Staff remaining in our offices over the next few days will continue to work through as many building inspections as possible.”

All four Building Control Officers in Auckland are expected to return home on Monday evening (6 February).

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