Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers has praised the council’s building inspections team for work that resulted in the Building Practitioners Board (BPB) banning a local operator for five years.

Builder Ting Xie was found to have committed six offences across two building projects. 

At the Wānaka project, the property was so poorly built the council ordered it to be demolished and at the second one, at Jacks Point, all the cladding had to be replaced.

“To the best of our knowledge this is the first time a Building Consent Authority like QLDC has successfully laid a complaint to the BPB resulting in a licensed practitioner being removed from the register,” Glyn said.

Glyn said the QLDC building team, in particular Wānaka-based building inspections team supervisor Rob Barr and inspections team leader Robert Aurik, led the investigation process.

They put in “hundreds of hours tracking the work of this individual and collating information that ultimately led to the recent hearing and successful resolution,” he said.

Problems identified at the Wānaka property included the glueing of a bolt to give the impression of a connection when there was no connection; double stacking of floor joists to achieve correct height; and cantilever beams without bolts.

“The need for more housing in our district is clear and supply chain issues are well known but cutting corners to the point of endangering the safety of the people who live here is completely unacceptable,” Glyn said.

In making its decision the BPB noted that Ting’s actions showed “a cavalier attitude to his legal obligations… It was evident that he lacked the skills and knowledge required to be a licensed building practitioner."

It said his conduct lacked integrity and brought the entire profession into disrepute.

The builder has left the country and his company, Lakeside Construction Ltd, has gone into liquidation. 

PHOTO: BPD