Further success on school building settlements

The settlement of legal action by the Ministry of Education against CSR Building Products Ltd over weather-tightness of school buildings is further good news for New Zealand schools, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye says.

“While the CSR product is only on a small number of schools, I’m very pleased to see the industry responding sensibly and allowing settlement to be reached without the need for court action,” Ms Kaye says.

To date the Ministry has successfully settled more than 40 claims relating to leaky buildings and is the first Government agency to lodge a major product liability claim, which led to an out of court agreement with major manufacturer, James Hardie late last year.

“Effective legal action will continue as needed to protect Crown assets, but it is only part of a much wider strategy to ensure delivery of the best possible learning environments for students and teachers,” Ms Kaye says.

Actions taken by the Ministry include introducing mandatory Weather-Tightness Requirements which work in conjunction with the New Zealand Building Code and include a peer review of all school designs.

Specific details of the settlement will remain confidential and the Ministry will now discontinue claims made against CSR. Legal action continues against the remaining party involved in the claim.

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