Early warnings of mould but no f ix

A potential mould problem at Hutt Valley High School was raised years before 13 classrooms were forced to close for that very reason, leaving students to learn from home, a report shows.

In 2019, the school commissioned building consultants CoveKinloch to look at the state of roofs on some buildings. The report, seen by Stuff, identified moisture issues as a result of rotten, peeling and holey roofs at the school could become a health hazard, because of the potential for fungus growth.

Last month, several classrooms were sealed off after unsafe levels of black mould were detected. Thirteen learning spaces and a dance studio have since been closed, forcing students into the hall and library.

A shortage of classrooms means senior students will spend 21⁄2 days a week learning from home starting next term until a solution can be found.

When asked about the report Hamish Bowen, the board of trustees chairman, said he believed it had been passed on to

Hamish Bowen

Board of trustees chairman

the Ministry of Education after it was published.

The mention of mould should have been enough to cause a health and safety response, or at least further investigation, he said.

‘‘Looking back on it, they were trying to warn us at the time. It should have triggered emergency funding, but didn’t.’’

Kim Shannon, the ministry’s head of education infrastructure service, said the ministry was reviewing its correspondence with the school.

The ministry has not responded directly to questions about when it became aware of building issues at the school, and why it did not act to fix them.

The ministry was focused on working with the school’s board to find alternative learning spaces to minimise disruption to the affected students, she said.

The ministry came under fire from Bowen and former board member Chris Nicholls last week for its lack of action over another report from 2016 that proposed demolishing and redeveloping one of the problematic buildings.

CoveKinloch’s inspection of Hutt High, which did not include an internal examination of the buildings, found the roofs were in an overall ‘‘poor condition’’, with corrosion, cracks, gaps, loose and broken flashings and rotten timber.

Peeling protective paint, standing water, heavy vegetation and lichen growth, and missing or poorly fitted fixings also featured. Similar problems were found in the guttering systems.

CoveKinloch recommended air sample testing for a dozen buildings with longstanding moisture issues, including blocks C and E, where most of the now-closed learning spaces are located.

Full cladding replacement for C Block was recommended, while widespread corrosion and multiple holes meant E block needed a full roof replacement.

Bowen previously told Stuff the ministry had known about the leaking roofs for years but had never stumped up with extra funding to proactively address the issue.

‘‘Looking back on it, they were trying to warn us at the time.’’