A Taupō man who allegedly forged the signatures of qualified engineers had involvement in 21 Rotorua properties, the council has found.

A police investigation is underway into the allegations. No charges have been laid.

Engineering New Zealand claims the man allegedly completed and signed documents using others’ identities and credentials without their permission.

In a statement released earlier this month, chief executive Richard Templer said the documents include producer statements, which provide assurance to councils that a design meets Building Code and consenting requirements when signed by a Chartered Professional Engineer.

Nationwide, potentially 1000 building consents and 40 local authorities could be impacted.

Templer said owners with concerns about their properties should contact their local council first, and Engineering NZ’s website had a public search to check whether members and Chartered Professional Engineers have outstanding notices against them.

A notice under the man’s membership says “pending investigation”.

At a council meeting on Wednesday, Rotorua Lakes Council district development deputy chief executive Jean-Paul Gaston said its team had digitally and manually examined its files of current and historic projects.

Rotorua Lakes Council district development deputy chief executive Jean-Paul Gaston. Photo / Laura Smith.

Finding those impacted manually had been a “painstaking process” but the digital files helped it “deep dive”.

It identified 21 projects the man had been involved in “for the last extended period”, seven of which were in the design or construction phase.

Gaston said the council had spoken to those property owners and developers so adjustments and design changes or certifications could be made before they were completed.

Letters would be sent to the remaining 14 property owners.

“We wanted to make sure we had everything lined up so when they receive those letters and if they contact us we are in the best place possible to provide information about what they need to do and how they can reach out to their own insurers or to Engineering NZ for assistance.”

Councillor Conan O’Brien asked what steps were being made so it did not happen again, to which Gaston said it would need to be addressed nationally.

“The situation here is we can check the name of a registered engineer or a chartered engineer - whether they have actually signed that document is one of the issues being raised here.”

He said the council intended to participate in any Engineering NZ process to ensure “uniform standards”.

Gaston said the accused mostly worked in the structural space and also completed geotechnical work.

In a response to Local Democracy Reporting Gaston said any risks or issues would be identified through reviews of the works done and the council would deal directly with impacted parties. The earliest project identified was in 2020.

He said the council had started checking documents and contacting property owners on Engineering NZ’s advice as it was a public safety matter.

Engineering NZ and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment were providing councils with advice.

An Engineering NZ spokesman said it was also developing guidance on how to identify and classify the likelihood and types of risk to impacted properties.

“We cannot and are not requiring councils to use these but we are holding information sessions for interested councils and engineers about how to apply the guidance so they can work with owners on next steps for their properties.”

He said it was helping MBIE and police in their investigations.

Asked what could be done to avoid similar issues in the future, he said the allegations were about misrepresentation which was extremely rare and not unique to the profession.

It has had an online producer statement template engineers could submit to councils with a secure signature, for those who chose to.

Further changes were a matter for MBIE, he said.

“We know this is a trying time for the many owners who are anxious to know what the implications might be for their properties and we agree owners, councils and engineers all need to be able to have trust in the building system.”

The ministry’s building policy manager Amy Moorhead responded to what steps could be taken in the future to prevent a repeat.

“It is difficult for regulation to prevent fraudulent activity, however, it can help relevant agencies detect fraud quicker and take necessary actions.”

A Building Consent System review was being modernised to give assurance to building owners and users that buildings are healthy, safe and durable, she said.

Included in the proposals was to clarify the purpose, status and use of producer statements.

“The proposals are intended to help building consent authorities assess the reliability of producer statements and identify when further enquiries may be required to verify the claims made in the statement.

It is consulting on whether there should be restrictions on who can issue one and the appropriate criteria to assess their reliability.

A police spokeswoman confirmed an investigation was underway and as such could not provide further comment.

Local Democracy Reporting attempted to contact Hall for comment via phone.

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