Mudslide under legal review

An investigation into a mudslide that flowed from a construction site on to a major thoroughfare in Wanaka last September is now part of a legal process and it is unclear when the results will be made public, or whether any legal action will follow.

Queenstown Lakes District council communications and marketing adviser Sam White said the ''on the ground'' investigation by council staff was complete and it was now part of a ''legal review''. 

The investigation followed a slow moving mudslide from the Marina Terrace apartment complex building site being developed by Wanaka based Multiplied Investment Partners at 65 Lakeside Rd.

The mudslide started at about 9pm on September 6, moved about a metre an hour and stopped at about 3am just short of flowing into Lake Wanaka.

Multiplied Investment Partners project manager and managing director Matt Tucks said at the time the site contained artesian springs and had been recently cleared of vegetation, so engineers could prepare for ''dewatering of the site''.

Initial investigations were undertaken by district council regulatory team enforcement officers headed by principal monitoring and enforcement officer Anthony Hall.

Mr White said the on-site investigations were completed in October and November and had since been passed to the council legal team to progress.

He said construction was not impeded by the investigation but a ''stop works'' notice was issued until the developers could confirm their activity would not result in further slips.

The notice was lifted just before the Christmas holiday.

The council also conducted an investigation to assess whether there were any breaches of consent.

However, Mr White said ''council was unable to confirm or deny whether consents were breached, while the legal process was in progress.''

kerrie.waterworth@odt.co.nz

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