THE START OF A VERY BUSY WEEK

Foyer.  As predicted last Wednesday, and mentioned on Friday, bracings have to go up in the foyer and lobby, to make sure that the roof does not fall in with the weight of the scaffolding above.  And there it is!  While each structure has to be avoided, we have the security of knowing it is safe to enter the building. Some sort of tape will be put around them, to make sure that no one blunders into one while looking at their phone or whatever.

Scaffolding of the south side of the B apartments.  A busy team from Workzone came in on Saturday to get this face ready for the hoist and breaking into the small bedrooms/offices of the B apartments. They worked from 8 to 3pm, and were very quiet.  Tagalog was the language of the site for those hours, indicating that the team was Filipino.  It took me back to Manila, and working on cruise ships. Did you know that one third of the seafarers today are Filipino?  They are on cruise ships, fishing boats, container ships, oil rigs and freighters all over the world, known as hard workers who can cope with dangerous jobs. But I did not know that they also work on scaffolding jobs.

From the Workzone FaceBook page

Refurbishments.  Many people have indicated on the wishlist that they want certain works done in their apartments -- power sockets, lights shifted, carpets taken away, and so forth. The Constitution of HGL says that the Board must get these applications, so we need the forms filled, as well.  I have left some copies on the foyer table, and can produce more.  I know it is a pain when you have done the letters and wishlist stuff already, but as I said, it is in the Constitution.  In most cases the contractor will be Aoraki, unless you are having extra work done by someone else after you get your apartment back.  So fill in the form, pretty please, and pop it into the 7D mailbox, and it will go the ptoper route -- the Board, TBIG and Aoraki.

Notifications.  With so much happening, we need a method for daily updating.  So white boards are going up in the foyer, along with a cork board for notices.  The two-weekly Aoraki update, printed in a bigger format, will be there, plus a big print of the newsflash of the day.  The team and Aoraki will keep the white boards up to date daily, so that you know exactly what to expect -- allowing for sudden changes, of course.
 

Friday in the Foyer

 Foyer.  
As predicted, bracing columns are going up in our foyer, to make sure the roof does not fall in when the scaffolding is put along the northern face of the B apartments.  It was fun to meet a couple of our riggers.  See those huge smiles.  And yes, they gave me permission to make them internet stars.

Curtains.  

They are safely hanging up in the most southerly garage on the top deck, secured to the rafters, and protected by mattress covers.  Damien and Opie are making a great job of looking after your curtains and blinds while your apartment is being remediated, and both Antony and Bernadette have loaned their dehumidifiers to make sure that there is no risk of mould. (Photo credit, Damien Courtney)

Alterations.   
If you want extra work to be done in your apartment during or after the remediation, you must fill in the application form that you will find at the back of your handbook.  Once filled in, give it to a board member -- or put it in my 7D mailbox -- and it will be handed on to the board and to Aoraki for comment and either rejection or approval.  A lot of shareholders -- between 10 and 15 -- have neglected to do this, though they have told one or the other of us verbally that they do have plans. But nothing can happen if that form is not filled in and submitted!!!

Insurance.

Conroy have informed us they are uncertain about who has insurance for removal, storage, and transit insurance for their chattels and furniture, and we do need a proper list.  We do understand that several shareholders are grappling with insurance companies that have turned out to be tightfisted, and are listing them as uninsured, knowing that they will let us know the result once they know it, and will refund HGL if the company has paid up in the meantime.  So please be helpful and patient as we work through getting a proper list of who had property insurance at the time of the 2016 earthquake (and was living here at the time), and who is not covered for whatever reason.

AORAKI NOTICE, WEEKS OF 31 MARCH TO 14 APRIL

 

WEDNESDAY CATCHUP

 

Scaffolding.  We have all been watching the scaffolding going up with great interest.  The workmen are just like acrobats, scaling heights and apparently taking their lives in their hands.  That everything is going safely and without accident is a credit to them and the watchful Aoraki crew.

Two bracing columns will go up in the outer foyer, by the shelf where the tradies sign in.  These are to support the foyer roof as the scaffolding works round to the northern side.  They will be easy to negotiate, and very important to make sure that our roof does not fall in!

As the scaffolding goes up on the eastern side, it is impeding the movement in and out of garages.  This is because the trucks must have access. So when you take your car out of the garage, you can't be sure you will get it back in.  Consequently the visitors' carpark was full of stranded cars yesterday and last night.  So please try to make your trips as few as possible, in the meantime.  Remember my advice about getting a mobility card?  I have been told that telling the mobility card people that your car is stuck in the garage will help them okay you.  So think about it.

Skip. The last skip -- the one by the front door == filled more slowly than the previous three, which filled at a frantic pace.  This one took ten days.  So we have decided to put off the next skip until just before Easter.  This is traditional, as a good time for a leisurely clean out.  It's amazing what you can find at the back of those cupboards!

Dehumidifier.  A thousand thanks to Antony Paltridge, who has loaned us his dehumidifier for the garage where our curtains and blinds will be stored.

Aoraki.  Gazelle tells me that she is very pleased indeed with the progress of the project so far, which was very good to hear.  Tomorrow morning very early she is visiting the Conroy depot, to finalize arrangements and check safety issues. 

Conroy.  Which reminds me that Conroy will be checking on everyone's wishes, level by level. Invoices will be sent out, as they like to be paid beforehand, and those shareholders with insurance will have their individual paperwork sent on to them. This paperwork includes personal choices, so that the shareholder can tick them off.   

And here is the initial scaffolding plan, to remind you all of where this first lot of scaffolding will go.

Monday Update

 

Our friendly Aoraki team.  
Don't they look great? The girl is Gazelle, the site manager, who knows everything, and keeps it all under control. The sign behind Gazelle tells the public what is going on, and what safety measures are in place.  Well worth a stroll to have a look -- but do not venture into the site without the full PEP.

Their toilet block arrived today, along with a lot more scaffolding. The four girls will use the toilet down in the gardening shed, so the guys will have the toilet block to themselves.  I am told that the queue at smoko time is a long one.

Schedule. This Wednesday and Thursday Conroy will be on level 13, packing everything ready to shift next week. On Monday next week the access will be made into apartment B, and the hoist readied for action. The following Wednesday and Thursday, Conroy will have the use of the hoist to take furniture out of level 13, so expect to see their truck on the site.

Level 12.  Conroy are packing level 12 at the end of the first week of April, and will have the use of the hoist on 7 April. 

All whiteware has to come out of levels 13 and 12, and out of all other levels where there is asbestos. (D apartment owners, take note, it is not likely that there is asbestos in the hallway storage cupboards.)

Level 11. The meeting in Ken's apartment (ground floor) of level 11 shareholders plus Damien, Ken, Joan will be on April 3, at 10am.  There will be a Zoom link. 

Curtains and blinds. Damien with the help of Opie, is taking down all curtains and blinds on the top two levels, and storing them in the top garage that is closest to the wall, and not affected by the scaffolding.  They will be protected with mattress covers.  Dehumidifier.  It would be good if there was a dehumidifier in that garage.  Does anyone have one they could lend us?

Carpets. We are still working through the possibility that Aoraki's carpet people could offer a bulk deal and lay new carpet.  That means that we urgently need the names of people who are interested, with details of how many rooms, and apartment numbers. 

Private documents.  We all know that you have to keep tax documents for seven years before discarding, but still we all have papers that need shredding securely.  David Dunsheath has come up with a great idea for solving this. 

He writes: For possible interest to others, I recently disposed of confidential papers (equivalent volume of half a small wheely bin) by taking them in cartons & bags to TiMG for shredding. I was charged $40 cash (with optional receipt provided if requested). No need to remove staples but I removed metal clips.

They offer casual service at cash-only rates from $20, anytime until 2pm weekdays. Request access to their yard at 2 Tyler Rd, Ngarangha Gorge, using their gate intercom system.  It was a very straight forward process for smaller volume of paper that does not justify renting a disposal bin.  

CARPETS, NOISE AND THE FIRST DECANTERS

 

No pictures of hoist or scaffolding today, because people haven't been sending any.  Well, Judy Myers tried, but her picture did not arrive in my inbox, so we need another try.  More pix please!  But in the meantime, I love this illustration from Alice and the Cheshire Cat, because if you feel a little bonkers with all that is going on around us, you know that All the Best People Are. 

Which reminds me that if you are annoyed by the noise or whatever, please do not tackle the workers.  Instead, convey your complaint to Damien or me, and we will do our best to make it explicable and maybe even better.  Every time you delay the work by talking to one of the workmen, it is a delay that affects us all.  So please be fair!

CARPETS.   This is an important message.  If you want a new carpet, and want it supplied and laid by Aoraki please tell us as soon as possible.  They can get a bulk deal that saves you money, and yes, you do have choice of colours and style. But Aoraki and TBIG have to know now!  TBIG will manage it on your behalf, and Aoraki will do all the work.

And what could be better than that?

The first decanters are poised to go.  Level 13 had their meeting with Damien and Sally and Ken last week, and are heading out now.  Today we had the level 12 meeting, with the above suspects plus me.  It was all on Zoom, which kept on disconnecting, but we got a lot discussed. Ventilation noise from the bathrooms was one topic, and Damien's talk with Nitin afterwards assured us that it should be almost entirely outside, emanating from the roof.  More on that later.

Ventilation and fire safety. Today we got a site notice from the WCC, which detailed a site inspection of passive fire and ventilation upgrades.  And we got a pass. They reviewed and discussed complaince schedule details, and approved of everything that is planned, which is great. For our fire resistance rating, the inter-floor drainage ducts are to be fire sealed on each floor; construction signs are in place, and all is go, go, go.

I met two of the Holmes fire and ventilation engineers in the week, and was most impressed.  One of them plays drums in a rock band!  Well, that puts a human face on at least one of our team.

 

Scaffolding, and the hoist

 The winner of today's taken-from-a-window photo is MICHELE KIRBY

 Impressive!

Trucks. This week the riggers are hard at work, bringing scaffolding on huge trucks.  This means that it will be hard to get out of the garage, as the trucks will be in the way, so do try to get a mobility card if you think you might be eligible. It could be a lot, lot easier to order a quarter price taxi than to wait until there is a gap so you can drive your car out of the site.  And remember that there could be trouble getting your car back into the garage, too.

Level 13. Yesterday's meeting (a lot by Zoom) with level 13 shareholders went well.  It was led by Damien, Ken and Sally, and all questions were answered.

Paint colour. Many people have asked about the choice of white for painting the renewed walls during remediation. Matching the old colour would be too hard, as colours go out of fashion so quickly.  Anything painted as little as five years ago would be very hard to match.  And it does not make sense to send a painter who is being paid $60 an hour on a hunt for a certain paint.  So white is the choice.  Regard it as the undercoat, which could be painted over with your own choice after you get back into your apartment. Think of it as putting your stamp of ownership on your remediated home. We do understand that there are many shades of white, and this will be attended to, but some sort of white is the best and only option.

Hoist.  We are having fun taking photos of residents with the hoist.  Here are four I have taken.  Join the party and take photos yourself, and send them to me. Selfies could be even more fun.

Site Setup and Hoist

 

The winner of the photo competition this week is Mary Chapman.  She took these two photos from her apartment window (7C) and I have played around with them for fun. In the first, you can see the removal of part of the brick wall, to allow ingress for trucks, while the second shows the arrival of the site office.  And a single portaloo!  Aoraki promise that there will be many more.

Erection of the hoist.  I took these photos myself.  I love the one of Brigid holding up the cab!  The workers on the main deck looked over the rail and enjoyed a good laugh.

I has been fun watching the hoist go up, and it was not nearly as noisy as expected. Brigid is wearing her fire warden hiviz vest to fit in with the general scene.  As she says, it is imitation syndrome.

Apartment inspections. Aoraki, TBIG and Conroy need to inspect apartments prior to work, and are doing it in batches of three levels.  On Monday a large group of us, including HGL directors, Aoraki, Conroy and TBIG staff, inspected the apartments on levels 13, 12 and 11, to assess what work had to be done, and what challenges there were for the removal company. Fiona Conroy took photos of furniture etc. to size up the challenge, and Aoraki did, too, for their own estimations. This will keep on happening. Apartment owners will be notified, and if absent a paper giving the time and reason for visit will be left on a bench inside. 

Atogether, it was a very exciting day, with the site being set up, and the hoist arriving.  While this is happening, the riggers have trucks going in and out. This can impede car movements in and out of garages.  So we have a suggestion.  All gold carders should apply for a mobility card, and that includes people with sight or mobility problems. Presentation of a mobility card at the start of a taxi ride will cut your fare by 75%.  So you pay a quarter of the fare.  The rest is paid by the council. And, believe me, the cab drivers all tell me they would go broke if it were not for all the mobility card passengers.

To apply for one, phone Metlink at 0800 801 700.  Listen to the entire menu, as mobility card is the last item -- about the tenth. Then ask for a mobility card. A girl will come round, look at you and talk a bit, then take a photo of you.  And presto, a card arrives in the mail. Instructions come with it.  Only some taxi companies honour the card, so Wellington Combined is recommended. You present the card before the driver starts the engine, and after that you are set.  So, if your car is trapped in your parking space, summon a taxi.  Believe me, it works. 

A consultation with level 13 shareholders is on Monday at 4pm, in the ground floor apartment (Ken's). There will be a zoom link.  This gives a chance for those shareholders to ask questions, and communicate worries.

Charity truck.  It arrived, but because of staff shortages it was not possible for their movers to carry large items downstairs.  So Brigid made up for it by collecting boxes of books and bringing them down to the foyer.  There were thirty-plus boxes, so a heroic effort from her.

THE HOIST IS GOING UP ... UP ... UP ...

 

The hoist.  Well, I wondered why trucks loaded with sand were coming in yesterday -- and here is the answer. The hoist site as seen on the left, was being packed with sand to bring it up to the level of the small wall.  Then beams could be laid across safely, and the erection of the structure begin.

From Sally Schoon:  "My joy for today if not the year to date were the sheer numbers, their smiling faces and the speed of them," (who??? well, of course) "our highviz jacketed scaffolding crew visitors.

"Inevitably I did get blocked from leaving in the car and didn't mind at all - part of the adventure. Starting! Hardly believable .

"And boy, that hoist is huge!"

More updates from residents please!  Items like that are wonderful.  Send to me at druettjo@gmail.com

And photos! I need photographs.  Think of it, this could be your first step to becoming a worldclass press photographer, as I will be printing the choicest ones in the newsflash.

Over the next two weeks: 

• Fencing of the top carpark to secure the worksite
• Portacoms arriving for offices, plus toilet blocks for the workers
• Scaffolding arriving on huge trucks, ready to set up around the B apartments

Charity truck and skip.  Don't forget that the skip is now next to the front door.  And decluttering is still a priority!  The Sallies are coming on Friday with their charity truck.  They will carry large items down for you, but you have to be in your apartment to let them do it.  If you are going to be away such as at work, please let Brigid know at her email willsbrigid@gmail.com and she will see you to arrange entry to your apartment and know exactly what you are giving away.  We would hate your favourite bureau to go by accident!

If you could bring donations down yourself tomorrow morning, that would be great.  We don't have a time yet, but if you are going out to work very early, then leave the donations in the foyer, just as before.  That will be great.

Note that Brigid's email is different.  For some reason the HGcustodian one was conflicting with the HGbuilding manager one.  I had an enigmatic message from the provider this morning, and we decided it was easier to use Brigid's personal one, which she suggested.

Maybe gmail is having the same trouble as Musk's X, which is currently being hammered by DDos attacks.  One really does wonder what their security is like ....

FLOWERS AND A FOYER MEETING

 

On Monday I opened my apartment door to find a gorgeous bunch of dahlias, along with a note thanking me for my patience and understanding.  Two days later, they look a little tired, but they have been enjoyed immensely in the meantime.  Like many others, I have been too busy to do trivial things like taking photographs.

Foyer meeting.  This was extremely well attended, with an engaged audience, who listened hard to every word.  Ken Geard took questions.  Chris Garrett and Tim Matthews both answered with confidence, knowledge, and clarity.  We owe huge thanks to both.  They spent many, many hours going over documents, proposals, costings, and clauses, making sure that there weren't any holes. Damien was there, despite the fact that these days he is turning up for work at an unholy hour -- six-thirty this morning. He is amazing, and we owe him heaps, as we do the ever-helpful and immensely competent Brigid.

Well, what did I learn?  What sticks in my mind is the very clear description Chris gave of how the ventilation shafts will work. A fan will draw all steam, dust, stale air, what have you up the shaft and above the roof. 

Special levies. A few shareholders have not paid up yet.  They will get a reminder, and if the reminder is neglected, interest will be charged. Vale.  Ken explained that the board had a meeting with their representative, and that the Constitution and Occupation Licence was shared, along with an explanation of the clauses that the prospective buyer should fulfil -- just as we all did, when we bought our apartments.  Buyers who concur with the conditions of the Licence are always welcome to apply. Since then, as Tim elaborated, there has been no reply from the rep, but we are waiting patiently.

Power supply.  I have an interesting question from a shareholder that I can't answer, and would love some educated comments. When an apartment is taken over by Aoraki, the power is cut off.  (This is why you must be sure to empty your refrigerator and freezer.) But your power supplier will still bill a reading charge. If you get in touch with them, they may agree to disconnect and then reconnect when you get your apartment back. But are the fees for that greater than the reading charge?  Which move is cheaper?  The fact that we all have different suppliers complicates it, of course.

More on the power supply -- but this one for the construction gang. They need their own power supply, via a cable to our main switchboard.  So KC is on top of that, but it means that the lifts will be out for a couple of hours while he works his magic.

Skip. You will notice that despite all the promises that the last skip was the last skip, another has arrived.  And finding a place to put it was a puzzle, believe me!  I owe Jenny McKinnon thanks for pointing out the slab which is reserved for the ambulance, but which the ambulance never uses. We decided we had to have one, as the last one was overfilled, and we had to take some stuff away for the next skip.  Also, the charity truck arrives on Friday, and there may be goods they will not accept and need to go into the skip.  So, we have the skip.  

Charity bin.  While we are on that topic, the charity bin is in the same place.  But please, please do not put soiled or torn or broken or just plain old stuff in it.  We have to take it out and dump it, and it is not charitable to pass on rubbish to the needy.

                                       AND AORAKI IS HERE! THE SITE IS BEING SET UP!

SITE SETUP

 It's all happening this week.

  

First, some of the brickwork at the entrance to the upper carpark will be removed, as there is not enough space for the big trucks. It will be eventually reinstated, but maybe with the wider entrance retained, to save accidents that have happened in the past.  For the project, one of the sidewalk bollards will be taken out.  It's the one coloured yellow on this online page.

Then the hoist will be installed at the back steps, where the rubbish and recycling bins used to be -- meantime, those bins will be moved to the fence at the back of the visitors' carpark, behind the tree. And yes, they will be tethered, and yes, there will still be room for cars, and yes, please make sure the lids go down securely, so that paper does not blow down the Terrace and get us into trouble. 

A pedestrian bridge for the workers will be put over the lower driveway. This could be a bit tricky, as the scaffolding of the B apartments will be set up at the same time, so there has to be allowance for the scaffolding trucks to get through. 

In the plan above, you can see how the whole site will be set up. Once the entrance is made clear, fencing with mesh will be put up around the boundary. There will be gates. There will be security lights and security cameras. The green blocks are site offices.  The yellow block is the four garages that are being taken over by Aoraki for storage of their goods. The owners have already been contacted and arrangements made.

The purple block covers the garages on the top deck. The garage by the wall will be used to safely store your curtains and blinds.  Camille with a helper is taking the curtains and blinds down, and they will be rolled up and packed into mattress bags that Conroy is providing. In the garage, they will be stacked on pallets to keep them out of the damp. Camille and her helper will also restore the curtains and blinds when the apartments are freed.  She even has a steamer to make sure the curtains fall nicely! 

The other top deck garages will have a sheet of corrugated iron removed from the roofs, as they have to be braced to take the weight of the scaffolding for the southern face of the C apartments.  This is a critical face of the building, as the panels have all to be strengthened with new brackets, and so the scaffolding is very important. Hopefully there will still be room for owners to store some goods.

Do not forget the foyer meeting this Tuesday at 6pm.  Ken Geard will bring us all up to date.

The major works team had a lively meeting last Thursday.  Damien and Brigid brought us up to speed with everything that is happening, and questions were asked. Fuse boards should be replaced this week, but as KC will also be setting up a power source for the hoist, he may have to put off some for the following week.  Just be patient, as he has a lot on his plate. The garages by the front door have to be reorganised, as big cars can't go in and out, there being a risk that one would nudge against the scaffolding.  If it was impacted, even slightly, worksafe would have to be called, and you can guess what would happen after that. The owners have been outstandingly cooperative. 

I also had a meeting with Murray, the rep with Otis.  The Otis team is working with Aoraki because of strengthening in the lift shaft.  Manos of Spectrum is working up plans. They will also need three of those front garages to store machinery etc. as it comes onto the site. 

Damien will be starting work earlier because of the project, and so Brigid will be taking up the slack.  We are extremely fortunate with our maintenance team. 

And tomorrow Fiona Conroy will be here to liaise about the decanting.

                ONWARD AND UPWARD

POP THE CHAMPAGNE

 

A great day for HGL -- and a great month.  On March 1 the contract award was signed, in a small but ebulliant ceremony. 

And as of today, we have the building consent.

 The big project is underway!  After all these years, we are getting there.  

It has been hectic, believe me.  At the beginning of February Aoraki submitted the first of many documents, leading to the first of many roundtable discussions abut costing and schedules, and mulling over drafts and plans, concluding with the construction contract award on February 26, and the signing.

 Huge thanks are due.  Chris Garrett spent many hours trawling line by line through costing, and talking over each point with the construction team.  Tim Matthews devoted much time and expertise to every clause in the contract, making sure everything was as perfect as it could possibly be.  And Ken Geard watched over it all, either online or in person, to make sure it was working well.  Which it was.

Martin Hubbard and his team at TBIG have been amazing.  As Chris Garrett told the board, Martin's dedication, hard work, and total focus on getting the best result for HGL has been outstanding.

Aoraki have been great.  Chris Goldsbury, Nitin and Kirk have answered each and every question (and I have been persistent to the point of total irritation) carefully and precisely.  And, with them, there is the team from Studio Pacific.  Max and Marc have listened patiently, and drawn up plans exactly as I asked, in response to queries from concerned shareholders.

Their PR has been first class.  Remember the stunningly successful Show and Tell?

The site is being set up on Wednesday. 

CHARITY TRUCK, PORTLOOS, AND REFURBISHMENTS

 

Charity truck.  This time it is the Sallies, who are bringing their truck next Friday 14 March.  The good news is that unlike other charities, they will take books!  They also take clothing and furniture. As before with the Mary Potter Hospice truck, they will not take anything soiled or broken.  And they need notification of large furniture, because of showroom space.  They also need to be able to guess how big a truck is needed, so Brigid has left forms where you can indicate what you are going to donate, eg. how many boxes of books.

Portaloos.  This has been on my mind.  With a projected workforce of 40-50, there are bound to be a few urgency issues, so where will they dash?  Rachel at TBIG has just now assured me that there will be a row of portaloos within the construction site, and that Aoraki will handle all hygiene issues.  Wonderful!  I had visions of men lining up outside the garden shed .... 

Refurbishments.  As so many requests are coming in, and Rachel at TBIG and the Aoraki team are so involved with getting the site up and going, it has been decided to keep to the old, formal HGL system, which means that I am the person to contact.

The system is to fill out the three-page form that is at the back of your resident's handbook, the green one. If you can't find it, leave a note in my mailbox, 7D, and I will put hard copies of the form into your mailbox.  Once that is filled in, put it in my mailbox, 7D.  I will present it to the board, with the proviso that if it looks urgent, I will let Rachel know at the same time.

The board will then assess it.  This is because we have to make sure that the shareholder has understood and followed all the undertakings -- that the fabric of the building, such as the shafts, the risers, the windows, the central core, the external walls, or walls that abut onto the nextdoor apartment have not been impacted. Relevant building consents have to be obtained, if needed. The project has to be covered by insurance. If you are putting in wooden flooring, such as parquet, there should be a noise reduction underlay.

Once approved, the board will pass it on to Aoraki.  Then they will go through their own approval process.

 

MORE UPDATES AND OPTIONAL UPGRADES

Decant dates.  Well, we have some more dates, slightly changed from the ones handed out a few days ago.  The site is now set up on 12 March, two days later than originally scheduled.  This suits us, as it means that the last skip can stay until Monday morning, so we can declutter over the weekend.  

Why the last skip?  Well, the diagram above explains it.  As you can see, when the hoist is set up next week, the back steps will be cut off from access from inside the building.  The only way to get heavy discards to the skip (if we had one) would be through the front lobby, and round past the garages, quite a trek when carrying something heavy or unweildy. So it is great to see the current skips being filled so fast and so completely.  The residents are doing a great job.

Latest dates and TBC:  In future we are going to mark definite dates as confirmed, and those that are still likely to be changed as To Be Confirmed -- TBC.

Confirmed: Level 13, decanted April 2, occupants return 9 July

                     Level 12, decanted April 7, occupants return 15 July

                     Level 11, decanted May 1, occupants return 29 July

TBC:           Level 10, out 19/7, in 21/8

                    Level 9, out 10 /6, in 28/8

                    Level 8, out 25/6, in 12/9

                    Level 7, out 11/7, in 30/9

                    Level 6, out 23/7, in 8/10

                    Level 5, out 8/8, in 3/11

                    Level 4, out 28/8, in 21/11

                    Level 3, out 15/9, in 15/12

                    Level 2, out 9/10, in 30/1/26

                    Level 1, out 30/10, in 18/2/26

                    Ground, out 17/11, in 24/2/26

                    Garden, out 2/12, in 23/1/26  

I have no idea why Ken in the Ground Apartment has to be out for so long.  Maybe it is something to do with the Christmas break, which is normally about two weeks.

Hoist.  This is where it gets interesting. Access for the hoist has to be created before the furniture in any level can be carried out by Conroy movers. This means that the window in bedroom three of the B apartment has to be removed and the wall cut away.  The small wall to the foyer has to be cut away, too. So on level 13, for instance, while the occupants of the B apartment do not need to leave before April 2, when the furniture will be removed, work will begin on the bedroom 3 window and walls on March 31. The door to that bedroom will be shut, and there will be no intrusion to the of the B apartment, but it will be very noisy.  How the residents feel is up to them.  They might want to opt to leave beforehand.  March 31 is a Monday, so leaving in the weekend could look attractive. Optional, as it would not be covered by any alternative accommodation payment, but the choice is certainly there.  Just as long as all the occupants of that level are out on the scheduled decant date.

Thinking of extra work to be done in your apartment?  If so, talk to Rachel, who is in charge of the wishlist.  I know this needs constant updating, as more wishes and queries arrive by the hour. The board also needs to know. Once you have the details right, and Aoraki has agreed to do it, with the proviso that it does not delay the project and the shareholder bears all extra costs, fill in the form that is appendix 7 at the back of your green residents' handbook. It is a request for approval of refurbishments.  The board will check on the costing and the time limit, then vote, and hopefully agree that you can go ahead.

Should you ask Aoraki to do extra work?  Definitely.  Yes. They will not allow outside tradesmen to use their hoist or even access the work site. If it is possible to do it without delaying the project, they will give you a quote for whatever you want done, and then it is up to you to decide if you can afford it.

If you do not have the forms, let me know with a note in 7D mailbox, and I will drop hard copies in your mailbox.  Think about it!  It could be a very good time.