Substandard building safety checks 'unacceptable'

The Ministry of Building, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has looked into the performance of 23 councils nationwide, including Wellington, Waikato and Kaikoura. At least five were not carrying out any on-site audits at all, and two-thirds have building warrant of fitness systems that are below par. This covers systems like fire alarms, sprinklers, automatic doors and lifts, to make sure they work as they should in case of fire or power cuts. Kathryn Ryan speaks with the planning and regulatory manager at the Carterton District Council, and former team leader of the consent system at MBIE, Dave Gittings.