A major visual landmark north of Auckland has been added to the list of victims of leaky-home syndrome.
The repair bill for the Nautilus tower block, which dominates the seaside town of Orewa, could make it the country's most expensive leaky building, the New Zealand Herald reported today.
It quoted a source as saying the cost of fixing the problems could be as high as $19 million.
The $65 million Nautilus building, which is 12 levels high and has 152 units, attracted plenty of opposition from residents when planning permission was sought.
It was not yet known how many of the units were affected.
Developer Rick Martin acknowledged there were problems, but blamed builder Brookfield Multiplex Construction.
He said maintenance had not been done properly and no blame could be attributed to his Cornerstone Group.
Brookfield managing director Dan Ashby said he had offered to meet those involved in November but had heard nothing since.
He was willing to discuss the issue, but said the builder's job was finished years ago and the company had received no notification of any claim against it.
