No permit for failed balcony fix
Repairs to a balcony in Dunedin that collapsed during a concert, injuring 18 students, have been made without a building consent.
Other balconies have also been strengthened in the complex where the surprise Six60 concert was held in March 2016.
The collapse at the Castle St building injured 18 students, including Southlander Bailley Unahi, then aged 19, who suffered a severe spinal injury. The balcony has since been fixed but the property owner did not get a building consent for the work.
‘‘We were surprised that the work had been done without a building consent but I believe it was a genuine mistake by the building owners,’’ Dunedin City Council principal adviser for building solutions Neil McLeod said. He visited the property on December 14 and found the failed balcony structure had been rebuilt and other balconies at the complex had been strengthened.
It was unclear when the work was carried out, McLeod said.
A notice to fix the balcony was issued to the building’s owner and they were required to apply for a Certificate of Acceptance.
Until the notice was lifted, the flat, which is understood to be untenanted, could not be occupied.
McLeod urged property owners wanting to carry out building work or repairs to check if they needed a building consent.
Richard McKnight, a shareholder in Ogato Investments Ltd, which has owned flats in the Castle St block since 2001, said he had ‘‘no comment to make’’.
Police last year decided not to lay criminal charges over the bal- cony collapse, while an earlier report by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment in August 2016 found the balcony gave way because of ‘‘grandstand level’’ loadings. The number of people on one of the balconies fluctuated from about nine to 18 at the point of the collapse.
The balcony was not intended to hold more than eight people.
Despite original reports people were jumping up and down on the balcony, video footage of the incident showed that was not the case.
A University of Otago report, released to Stuff under the Official Information Act, said multiple failures and poor preparation contributed to the collapse.
Tuberculosis outbreak
Five and possibly six people have been found to have tuberculosis at a Waikato township after a resident was first diagnosed in June 2017. Three of those six – a family who are regular visitors to Kawhia – were only confirmed to have the disease over the Christmas break and it is possible one has spread the disease further. Ka¯whia grandfather Richard Torpey believes the seaside village should have been quarantined so holidaymakers would not be exposed. In November, there were two known cases and one possible. All have been treated and are not considered infectious. However, the three new cases that emerged in December were infected by one of the earlier carriers. Tuberculosis – widely known as TB – can be deadly if not treated with antibiotics. It usually attacks the lungs and about 250 cases are recorded in New Zealand every year.
Disorder escalates
A good Samaritan who helped a critically injured man was stabbed 24 hours later in a case of revenge gone wrong. Two people were stabbed at a Panmure, Auckland, house on Saturday night in retaliation for an earlier incident where a car was driven through a crowd. Police said a resident of the house helped lift the car off the man trapped beneath and stayed with him until an ambulance arrived. But the next night, a group swarmed the house armed with knives and a hammer. They stabbed two people, including the good Samaritan, while a third person received a blunt force injury.
Motorcyclist dies
A motorcyclist injured in a crash at Kinloch near Taupo, on Saturday about 2.20pm, later died in hospital. The crash involved the motorcycle and a car.
Body found on beach
A man’s body was found washed up on a beach on the outskirts of Napier on Friday evening. Police could not say whether the body might be that of missing French tourist Pierre Paludet, 32, who was last seen at Haumoana beach further down the coast on January 12.
Treaty top-ups
Two iwi were paid Treaty of Waitangi settlement top-ups totalling $370 million on December 15. WaikatoTainui received $190m and the South Island’s Nga¯i Tahu $180m – more than they originally settled for in 1995 and 1998, respectively. Both iwi negotiated relativity clauses during the settlement process. It meant that once total Treaty settlement spending reached $1 billion, the two iwi were entitled to payments proportional to other tribes’ settlements. The clauses were triggered for the first time in 2012, when Tainui was paid $70m and Nga¯i Tahu $68.5m. There are likely to be further top-ups, with one of the biggest claims, by Nga¯puhi in Northland, among 47 negotiations still under way. Total Treaty settlement spending sits at $2.2b.