Rottenomics The Story of New Zealand’s Leaky Buildings Disaster. Written by Peter Dyer. Book review by Graeme North
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eter Dyer is a journalist who spent carried out. Government. A major cause of rotting eight years researching and writing One really tough fast growing candidate – houses was a direct consequence of the this book. Many of the people he pinus radiata – stood out although variously ideological neo-liberal economic system talked to are known well to some of us, and described early on as: that swept NZ from the mid-1980’s when the period he covers involves so many of Rogernomics took hold. This book’s title of us in the building industry as we grappled ‘a tree that grows like rhubarb’ (1898), and Rottenomics is an obvious play on this. The with one of NZ’s greatest disasters. And ‘as absolutely worthless unless treated Minister of Forestry at the time stated: ‘this on top of the rotting issues, there were, in some form except for timber where no Government’s policy is to allow industry to and still are, a whole host of underlying weather reaches it. It will grow quickly almost control its own destiny without Government anywhere… and it lends itself to the soaking regulation’. As Dyer says ‘It wasn’t broke. But structural failures as well. – in of preservatives more than any timber….’ “Anyone in the remedial industry will tell (1913 Submission to the Royal Commission they fixed it.’ you that when they tear the wall off rotting on Forestry). In 1987 the Building Performance Guarantee buildings, they typically find other serious Scheme was axed. In 1988 the TPA was problems: structural deficiencies, fire violations, There was a fight for many years over which abolished and replaced with an industrytreatment should be adopted for pine run Timber Preservation Council. The use earthquake vulnerability and so forth”. between the boric treatment of Australian of kiln-dried timber without fungicidal This has certainly been my treatment was promoted from own experience with nearly all within the timber industry. It the remedial work I have been rotted if wet. Monolithic cladding involved with. As an aside, it “Anyone in the remedial industry became fashionable with sealants was my involvement with one of replacing flashings, which leaked. will tell you that when they tear the very early leaking buildings, The timer for the bomb to go off along with Greg O’Sullivan from the wall off rotting buildings, they was ticking. Prendos, where I suggested retypically find other serious problems: cladding using a draining cavity The Ministry of Works (MOW) structural deficiencies, fire violations, to protect the building, let it dry gave real-world practical advice earthquake vulnerability and so forth”. out, and keep it dry. I have never to the Government as opposed to claimed being the first to think the neo-liberal faith-based advice of cavities behind cladding other coming from Treasury, so it had than brick veneer as a weathering to go. Destruction of the MOW in solution before. I believe I was, but I researchers and the British Tanalith 1988 was opposed by virtually no politician graciously let Greg take the glory as cavities promoters. Eventually this was resolved, of any stripe when it came before Parliament. were not widely welcomed when they first and the use of treated timber was rigorously Lost immediately was its enormous became common. over-seen by the Timber Preservation institutional knowledge along with a The causes of weather-tightness issues in Authority (TPA). NZ houses may have had very well-trained work force that could NZ are complex and interlinked. Some go their faults but by and large they did not effectively design and build schools, houses, back to our geographical position where we rot. The result of the TPA’s oversight was that bridges, power stations and hydro-dams. are exposed to the wind driven rain off the there was little concern about timber rotting Of course, there were continued overleaf... surrounding oceans. Some go back to the in NZ’s houses. instances of inefficiencies, as I experienced 19th century, when trials of trees to replace Then there was an ideological shift in myself, but training of its staff and a lot of the rapidly depleted native timbers were Bateman Books, 2019 ISBN 978-186953-9998-6 More information and stockists/purchase info is available at www.leaky-buildings.peterdyer.nz EARTHBUILDING MAGAZINE - www.earthbuilding.org.nz
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