About the weathertightness remediation programme#

The programme is for state school buildings either built or significantly modified between 1994 to 2005 and addresses any weathertightness failure. All buildings are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

The programme:

• prioritises urgent health and safety issues
• repairs weathertightness failures and consequential damage
• completes the work with the least disruption to schools as possible
• makes sure all remediation works complies with the New Zealand Building Code.

How weathertightness issues happen#

Weathertightness failure happens when water gets past the external cladding of a building. It is often a localised issue, such as:

• defective or missing flashings
• poorly formed wall and roof cladding penetrations
• cracked direct fixed cladding
• poorly flashed and sealed parapets
• inadequate clearance between the base of cladding and adjacent gardens or ground (paved or unpaved).

If left unaddressed, the resulting moisture levels can create further problems and lead to structural damage and possible health and safety risks.

How weathertightness issues are addressed#

If a school has a weathertightness issue that is causing damage or may be a health and safety concern, this situation should first be:

• addressed through normal maintenance processes, or
• brought to the attention of our property advisors, depending on the severity or urgency.

Remediation inspection#

Once a building enters the programme, a remediation inspection is organised with a registered building surveyor. A report is produced, identifying the cause of the leaks and building envelope failure. It presents solutions for remediation of the issues identified. This can help reduce potential disruption to the school, especially if weathertightness failures and any damage are found to be localised.

The onsite inspection may include talking to:

• the school principal
• the school caretaker
• other staff members with knowledge of weathertightness issues.

The process may also include:

• previous building survey reports
• information gathered during annual school visits
• any other building condition assessments.

For more information on the process, contact your property advisor.

Weathertightness Review Panel#

The Weathertightness Review Panel provides technical assistance around remediation works. It also independently reviews the:

• remediation inspection report
• preliminary design
• detailed design.

How weathertightness remediation is funded#

General property maintenance #

Work to keep buildings weathertight is firstly funded from the school's Property Maintenance Grant, with regular maintenance of the school buildings.

Property Maintenance Grant funding

5 Year Agreement funding#

More significant projects are scheduled as part of the school's 5 Year Agreement (5YA) funding. If the school's 5YA is exhausted, contact the property advisor.

5 Year Agreement funding

Work on school buildings that were primarily built or modified from 1994 onwards, and have weathertightness failure, will be funded partly from the 5YA budget as set out below.

Buildings fully owned by us#

Schools will pay:

• 50% of the cost from the current 5YA budget, capped at 50% of the 5YA budget, plus
• all residual 5YA funds from previous cycles.

The weathertightness remediation programme will top up your 5YA budget for the difference.

Jointly owned buildings#

For buildings jointly owned by us and the school board, or other third-party ownership:

• the portion we own is paid from the 5YA or weathertightness remediation programme budget as set out above
• the board is responsible for the remediation costs of its portion.

Buildings 100% owned by the school board#

The board is responsible for all weathertightness inspection and remediation costs. The weathertightness remediation programme may provide technical assistance with the inspection and review process. The programme cannot contribute to the cost of this.

10 Year Property Plan#

Where possible, the actual remediation work will be incorporated into the school's 10 Year Property Plan (10YPP). This will be in line with the 5YA budget cycle or as part of capital work that is already underway. If the work is urgent or high risk, it will be addressed as quickly as possible and the current 10YPP may need to be revised.

Repairs of destructive testing patches#

Repair of the patches from previous destructive testing is included within weathertightness remediation projects. If testing showed no weathertightness remediation is required, we pay the full cost to repair the invasive testing and of the remediation inspection.

Remediation Strategy policies#

Our Weathertightness Remediation and Regulatory Strategy 2018 has key policies to help make sure weathertightness issues won't arise from current and future remediation works.

These include:

• All consultants are selected and engaged based on competency and experience.
• Remediation Inspection Reports provide evidence that the weathertightness failures identified are responsible for the observed damage.
• Documentation includes sufficient specification, construction detailing and referencing of manufacturer’s technical literature for code compliant construction.
• Design documentation is subject to review, normally at 2 stages: Preliminary and Detailed Design.
• The consultants engaged to document the works also undertake construction observation.
• A Quality Assurance process is implemented so the proposed and completed remedial works are code compliant and appropriate to the weathertightness failures and consequential damage.
• Completion documentation is added to our property file.

Architects, designers, building surveyors and other property professionals involved with remediation, can download the document below.

Tools and resources for property professionals#

Download our templates, forms and guidance documents for weathertightness remediation of school buildings.

Tools for building surveyors#

Tools for architects and designers#