Fix ‘cracks’ in law, say families of CTV dead

Families fighting for justice for victims of the CTV building collapse have demanded law changes to close up ‘‘cracks’’ they say have allowed people to ‘‘get away with murder’’.

Relatives and friends of those who died presented Justice Minister Andrew Little with a raft of documents calling for amendments to three laws to protect the rights of victims and their families in similar situations.

Despite a three-year $1.2 million investigation, police last month announced they would not pursue criminal charges against engineer David Harding or his boss Alan Reay over design deficiencies that contributed to the collapse.

The decision was a major blow to the families, and following the meeting with Little in Christchurch yesterday, they said a judicial review to challenge it remained on the table.

Speaking to The Press afterwards, Maan Alkaisi, whose wife Maysoon Abbas was among the 115 killed, said: ‘‘After seven years we are still fighting, which means something is wrong.

‘‘There are lots of cracks in our legal system that [mean] you can essentially get away with murder, and we want to fix that.’’

The conversation with Little gave relatives hope following a ‘‘disappointing’’ meeting with police, Christchurch Crown Prosecutor Mark Zarifeh and Deputy Solicitor-General Brendan Horsley on Thursday, Alkaisi said, with the minister promising he would ‘‘do his best’’ to help them.

‘‘He said he would consult the families to know exactly what problems they face, and will learn from that and will try and change the law where possible . . . He believes something went wrong and it has to be fixed . . .

‘‘He listened, he understood all the points we raised . . .’’

Alkaisi said the families were demanding changes to the Law Reform Act 1936, which he said prevents relatives of the deceased claiming exemplary damages.

They also want reform of the Accident Compensation Act 2001, which they say can bar claims for declarations of wrongdoing in cases involving personal injury, and amendments to the Building Act 2004 to change limitations in time frames over accountability that can prevent cases being brought before the courts.

Comparing the plight of the CTV families to those of the Pike River mining disaster, Alkaisi laid down the gauntlet to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who will meet relatives in the new year. ‘‘It’s an opportunity for the new Government to fix these things because we definitely have something wrong here.’’