Christchurch City Council admits it failed to insure a brand new composting plant before the earthquakes and will now have to borrow extra money to pay for $11 million worth of repairs.
The council is already facing a $760 million shortfall in the insurance it will receive for underground infrastructure and buildings, due to a cap on its cover and disputes with its reinsurers.
The council's corporate services general manager, Paul Anderson, says the failure to get insurance for the Bromley composting plant was a clerical error and one he is ultimately responsible for.
"It's my responsibility to ensure that council's assets are insured... My team in this instance failed to move that across."
Mr Anderson will not be drawn on whether disciplinary action has been taken but says changes have been made to the insurance team to make sure the mistake isn't repeated.
