WoolWorks NZ faces $1m repair to earthquake-prone buildings in Napier

WoolWorks NZ has three wool rubbing mills in the country including its largest in Awatoto.

The Awatutu plant on Waitangi Road suffered severe flooding during Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023, underwent a major clean-up and rebuild and is back in full production.

It has since been found that two buildings in the plant (the corrosion hall and the corrosion plant building) are earthquake-prone.

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WoolWorks chief executive Nigel Hills said that while it looked serious, it was “actually a simple engineering fix” and would cost the “best part” of a million dollars to strengthen.

He said they hope to complete this work within the next 18 months, and it should not interfere with operations.

“Some parts of the building are 100% functional and other parts need some reinforcement to resist earthquakes.”

The WoolWorks Awatoto wool cleaning plant after it reopened earlier this year. Photo: Warren Buckland

He said they have completed the engineer's assessment and a report has been prepared that is under peer review.

“We don't have an up and down problem, it's a sideways movement.” [issue]”He said.”

“It could be as simple, if you can imagine, as a triangular piece of steel welded into a corner… In terms of an engineering fix, it's actually a simple engineering fix.”

He said it was still possible to do without it, quite frankly, and “it's definitely an added cost.”

“It's likely that anyone who has an old building will have to go through the same process,” he said.

“It's one of those things that we have to do and we will do it as time and money allow.”

He said they repackaged the factory after the hurricane, and the earthquake problems had nothing to do with those works.

Advertisement Advertise with NZME. Rice's building on Emerson Street occupied by a shop and restaurant. Photo / Gary Hamilton-Irvine

Meanwhile, another noteworthy building set to be added to the EPB register is the Rice's Building at 143-147 Emerson St in the Napier CBD, which is currently occupied by a retail store and restaurant.

Fourteen buildings around Hawke's Bay have been added to the register this year, with 12 of them added in the past week.

Napier City Council has confirmed that the 12 buildings can continue to be used in accordance with legislation in the Building Act 2004.

New rules were introduced in 2017 for earthquake-prone buildings including timeframes for their repair.

These rules have been heavily criticised, with claims that they have relatively short deadlines (some deadlines were close to expiring) and pose significant financial burdens.

The government has started reviewing the system.

AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.How it works

Councils have the authority to identify buildings at risk of earthquakes at any time.

Property owners are then notified and must obtain engineering assessments of the building, carried out by suitably qualified engineers.

A building is considered earthquake-prone depending on how well it meets the seismic performance requirements of the building code.

There are two classifications of earthquake exposure: 0% to less than 20%, and 20% to less than 34%.

Councils use this information to determine whether buildings are earthquake-prone, assign classifications, issue notices to repair damage and publish information about buildings on the public environmental protection register.

There are fines if the property owner does not comply with the notices.

Advertisement Advertise with NZME. Latest Buildings in Napier on EPB Register

11 Waitangi Rd, Awatoto: 2 buildings at WoolWorks NZ

143-147 Emerson Street: Rice Building occupied by a store and restaurant

147 Tennyson Street: The building occupied by Pit Stop

75-77 Bridge Street, Ahuriri: Building occupied by a shop

142 Dickens Street: The building occupied by BedsRus

47 Tennyson Street: The building occupied by Mister D's*

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32 Main St, Hospital Hill: Old Mill Building*

10-12 Mahia Street, Ahuriri: Large Building*

152 Emerson Street: Building occupied by a store*

134 Emerson Street: Building occupied by a store*

85 Carlisle Street: Building occupied by a shop and restaurant*.

*Napier City Council has not determined whether the building is earthquake-prone, but is acting as if the owner did not provide an engineering assessment or did not provide an appropriate assessment.

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Gary Hamilton Irvine is a Hawke's Bay-based reporter covering a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He previously worked for News Corp Australia.

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