The Commerce Commission is investigating a flawed building product at the centre of a 1 NEWS investigation.
The agency is looking into allegations of false and/or misleading representations under the Fair Trading Act about the K3T Wall panel system on the Global Fibre8 website and promotional material
Read more from Barbara Dreaver's investigation:
'Deeply flawed' wall panel system expands internationally
Two houses in Northland have been demolished after the product caused cracks and leaked chloride, poisoning concrete and corroding steel.
Global Fibre8 has also been ordered by the international compliance company Sai Global, which codemarked the product in Australia to stop using the certification to promote its product.
Sai Global told 1 NEWS that the certificate for the K3T panels expires in July and won't be renewed.
Global Fibre8 chief executive Tangi Tuake claims Sai Global has been to his Onehunga warehouse to audit the K3T panels but Sai Global says it has no relationship with the company.
The codemark is made out to an Australian company Esttar International, associated with Mr Tuake, which has been deregistered.
It is this codemark which helped convince the Far North District Council to approve the K3T panels for the two Northland homes which had to be demolished.
The council won't comment as it’s being taken to court over the issue, along with Global Fibre8, by Karen and Randolph Urlich.
"We’re actually asking for re-embursement for what it has cost us to fix something that should never have been allowed to build with, should never have been put on the New Zealand market, should never have been approved by Council."
More victims of the building product scandal have come forward including Waikato couple Bob and Tanya Breen, who have piles of the product in their driveway.
They’re $100,000 out of pocket as three engineers have told them they can’t use it for an industrial build as it doesn’t comply with the New Zealand building code.
“There are certain tests that should have been done and haven’t been done,” Mr Breen said.
Global Fibre8 is run by a Cook Islands family which has used community connections both domestically and internationally to promote the product, associated companies selling the product are also based in the Cook Islands and Australia.
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