19 August 2015

Brownlee warned over EQC repairs but ignored them

Gerry Brownlee was warned that EQC’s underfloor repairs weren’t being done properly by industry experts, the cross party working group and in public but he arrogantly ignored them all, says Labour’s Earthquake Commission spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove.

“Today’s apology and commitment to new repairs comes far too late. Gerry Brownlee was warned numerous times by several experts that the people doing the underfloor repairs weren’t qualified and were using bad process.

“People are extremely concerned that, for instance, they may have to move out of their house again to have yet more repairs done. People have also raised the question – if the shoddy builder who did the underfloor repairs also did repairs on other parts of the house will those be checked and, if necessary, fixed as well?

“There is a pattern of arrogance here. Ministers receive warnings – such as Solid Energy and shoddy earthquake repairs but they do nothing and ordinary people pay the price.

“It is the height of arrogance for Mr Brownlee to insist he is right and everyone else is wrong. This apology will be bittersweet for those homeowners for whom the ongoing fallout of the earthquakes doesn’t seem to end,” says Clayton Cosgrove.

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