Major water leak will lead to 'black mould' in $82 million Christchurch Airport hotel if not properly dried out - insider

June 25, 2018

An anonymous contractor involved in the $82 million Christchurch Airport Novotel hotel has claimed a serious water leak in the unfinished building will lead to "black mould" in the wall cavities if not properly dried out.

The hotel which is officially scheduled for a September 2018 opening date, has suffered significant damage from the water leak  Stuff has reported  a construction insider as saying.

However, the inside source speaking anonymously told Stuff, expressed doubt the constructors and developers were committed to properly drying out and repairing the damaged caused by the water leak down the lift shaft.

"There are numerous walls that need to have the [plaster board] removed to dry out properly or else there will be black mould form in the wall cavities. It does not appear they are going to do this," the contractor said.

He also summed up the project as turning into a "disaster".

Possibly more than half the building has been damaged from leaking drain pipes onto plaster board and insulation, the contractor said.

The Novotel Christchurch Airport 200-room hotel is being constructed as part of a partnership between AccorHotels and developer - Christchurch Airport International Limited (CIAL).

Christchurch City Council owns 75 per cent of CIAL, with the remaining 25 per cent owned by the Crown.

The Christchurch Airport Novotel hotel was originally scheduled to open in December 2017, however a mistake with the kind of steel ordered last August was the first hitch leading to the construction delays.

A CIAL spokeswoman told Stuff it did not know when the hotel would open, and referred questions about the issue to Fletcher Construction.

"We are disappointed to have become caught up in Fletcher issues," the CIAL spokeswoman said.

"We do not yet have a confirmed completion date and look forward to receiving that from Fletcher."

A Fletcher spokesperson however would provide no timeline update for the project.

"We are not going to discuss the specific details of the day-to-day progress or timeline of each project, or commercially sensitive information," they said.

Previously, Fletchers had been forced to comment on pre-fabricated bathroom pods being left in the rain.

"Issues with bathroom pods were discovered as part of regular quality control measures at the site, and pods are being replaced to ensure a high quality build," the Fletcher spokesperson said.

In August 2017, Christchurch Airport chief executive Malcolm Johns relayed to Stuff some of the New Zealand-supplied steel did not meet requirements.

The opening date is now likely to be April 2019, according to on-site construction sources. 

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