We're currently doing routine assessments of our buildings to determine how many may include asbestos-containing materials (ACM).
The Council owns more than 2000 buildings across Christchurch and Banks Peninsula. Those buildings include toilet blocks, storage sheds, community centres, libraries, sport and recreation centres and social housing units.
Over the next few years, we're checking nearly all of them to determine how many may have ACM in them. The buildings being checked are mostly older ones built before New Zealand started regulating the use of asbestos in 1978, and ones that have not been recently checked through other programmes.
Contractors, who are specialists in hazardous substances, will check each building and test it for asbestos. If they find asbestos they will make recommendations on how and when it should be removed.