81 tenants given seven days to relocate

Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson wants Housing New Zealand to extend the time given to tenants to relocate from an apartment block which is an earthquake risk.

The 81 tenants of the Gordon Wilson complex on the Terrace have been given seven days to ship out.

Mr Robertson says given safety precaution's being undertaken at the flats, Housing New Zealand should be able to be flexible with the deadline.

"I think it's going to be very difficult for them to find appropriate accommodation for people within seven days. And what worries me is if they rush to meet that arbitrary deadline, they're going to put people into accommodation that doesn't suit their needs, and that may lead to longer term problems.

"I expressed my concern about this and also about those people who will eventually have to move outside of Wellington central, to make sure that those people are looked after when they do move, that any additional costs they're facing are met."

Mr Robertson says as many tenants as possible should be re-housed within seven days, but believes a couple of weeks is a more realistic time frame to move everyone out.

He says he's also written to Housing Minister Phil Heatley asking him to make sure the seven-day deadline is enforced flexibly.

Photo: Getty Images