Auckland-based Scarbro Construction has today declared insolvency and called in liquidators.

The building company has stopped work on five active construction sites- and experts warn this won't be the only construction business in trouble this year.

AUT Construction Management professor John Tookey wasn't expecting Scarbro to dissolve, but says that any construction company can go belly-up.

John Tookey says Scarbro's liquidation has likely come down to a cash flow crisis generated by a contract or sub-contract going wrong.

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Auckland-based Scarbro Construction has today declared insolvency and called in liquidators.
The building company has stopped work on five active construction sites- and experts warn this won't be the only construction business in trouble this year.
AUT Construction Management professor John Tookey wasn't expecting Scarbro to dissolve, but says that any construction company can go belly-up.
John Tookey says Scarbro's liquidation has likely come down to a cash flow crisis generated by a contract or sub-contract going wrong.
LISTEN ABOVE

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

John Tookey: AUT Construction Management professor on Auckland-based Scarbro Construction entering liquidation

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 5 February, 2026, our political reporter at Waitangi tells us the prime minister got a harder time this year than ACT leader David Seymour.

We ask why the wastewater plant pumping poo into Wellington's water wasn't fixed earlier.

Is Invercargill not up with the times? The council's plan to spend $2 million on a clock tower.

And on The Huddle, Maurice Williamson and Mark Sainsbury discuss how councils need to lift their game.

Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

LISTEN ABOVE

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 5 February, 2026, our political reporter at Waitangi tells us the prime minister got a harder time this year than ACT leader David Seymour.
We ask why the wastewater plant pumping poo into Wellington's water wasn't fixed earlier.
Is Invercargill not up with the times? The council's plan to spend $2 million on a clock tower.
And on The Huddle, Maurice Williamson and Mark Sainsbury discuss how councils need to lift their game.
Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
LISTEN ABOVE

Full Show Podcast: 05 February 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/55afe8d3-d538-4264-8b44-b3e800662bae/transcript

Here’s a question for you: Was your first reaction to the news of sewage pumping into Wellington’s water something along the lines of, “Oh well, these things happen”?

I ask because I’ve spent the past 24 hours fighting the urge to wave this away as one of those unfortunate, unforeseen things that just happen from time to time. You know — mistakes happen.

I’m glad I resisted that urge, because the latest information actually makes the situation far more concerning.
The Moa Point facility is run by a private contractor, Veolia, and there have been years of warnings that it was non-compliant. Since January 2024 — two years ago — it has failed to meet compliance every single month except for two. That’s a pretty poor record. The issues have included inappropriate discharges, odour problems, and repeated problems involving faecal bacteria.

A review three years ago looked across all four water‑treatment plants Veolia runs in the Wellington region and found understaffing, inexperienced operators, and frontline teams being left to handle complex problems without executive support.

Now, we don’t yet know exactly what went wrong with the pipe yesterday. We don’t know whether the long-running warnings had anything to do with the incident — whether, had the warnings been acted on, this might not have happened. We simply don’t know.

But what we do know is that what was happening at that facility wasn’t good enough.

And that brings me to our default reaction — mine, yours, everyone’s — which seems to be giving councils a free pass. I don’t know why we do that. Maybe it’s because we’re fair-minded people and try to be accommodating of others’ mistakes. Maybe it’s because councils are monopolies; if we don’t like what they do, we have nowhere else to turn, so what’s the point getting upset?

So we end up lowering our standards to match the councils’ low standards.

But we shouldn’t.

Wellingtonians should be angry about this — just as Christchurch residents should be angry about the Bromley stench that has dragged on for years.

Voting for “more competent” people probably won’t fix it. It never does. What Wellingtonians, and everyone else, can do — and what the media can do — is get angry, get vocal, and shame the councils and their contractors into doing better.

LISTEN ABOVE

Here’s a question for you: Was your first reaction to the news of sewage pumping into Wellington’s water something along the lines of, “Oh well, these things happen”?
I ask because I’ve spent the past 24 hours fighting the urge to wave this away as one of those unfortunate, unforeseen things that just happen from time to time. You know — mistakes happen.
I’m glad I resisted that urge, because the latest information actually makes the situation far more concerning. The Moa Point facility is run by a private contractor, Veolia, and there have been years of warnings that it was non-compliant. Since January 2024 — two years ago — it has failed to meet compliance every single month except for two. That’s a pretty poor record. The issues have included inappropriate discharges, odour problems, and repeated problems involving faecal bacteria.
A review three years ago looked across all four water‑treatment plants Veolia runs in the Wellington region and found understaffing, inexperienced operators, and frontline teams being left to handle complex problems without executive support.
Now, we don’t yet know exactly what went wrong with the pipe yesterday. We don’t know whether the long-running warnings had anything to do with the incident — whether, had the warnings been acted on, this might not have happened. We simply don’t know.
But what we do know is that what was happening at that facility wasn’t good enough.
And that brings me to our default reaction — mine, yours, everyone’s — which seems to be giving councils a free pass. I don’t know why we do that. Maybe it’s because we’re fair-minded people and try to be accommodating of others’ mistakes. Maybe it’s because councils are monopolies; if we don’t like what they do, we have nowhere else to turn, so what’s the point getting upset?
So we end up lowering our standards to match the councils’ low standards.
But we shouldn’t.
Wellingtonians should be angry about this — just as Christchurch residents should be angry about the Bromley stench that has dragged on for years.
Voting for “more competent” people probably won’t fix it. It never does. What Wellingtonians, and everyone else, can do — and what the media can do — is get angry, get vocal, and shame the councils and their contractors into doing better.
LISTEN ABOVE

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Wellingtonians should be angry about this

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/ca828a54-e13b-4500-a7dc-b3e80067f49a/transcript

Last year, food giant Watties had to cut contracts with 20 peach growers, citing market dumping and Cyclone Gabrielle as the key factors for the decision.

An investigation by the government found that Chinese fruit company J&G International Co. Ltd. was indeed dumping peaches in to the market, causing 'material damage' to the industry. 

Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Scott Simpson told Heather du Plessis-Allan that this situation unfortunately isn't rare. 

"It's not completely uncommon. We get probably 1 or 2 a year cases of dumping of product, not just peaches, a whole range of stuff."

LISTEN ABOVE

Last year, food giant Watties had to cut contracts with 20 peach growers, citing market dumping and Cyclone Gabrielle as the key factors for the decision.
An investigation by the government found that Chinese fruit company J&amp;G International Co. Ltd. was indeed dumping peaches in to the market, causing 'material damage' to the industry.&nbsp;
Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Scott Simpson told Heather du Plessis-Allan that this situation unfortunately isn't rare.&nbsp;
"It's not completely uncommon. We get probably 1 or 2 a year cases of dumping of product, not just peaches, a whole range of stuff."
LISTEN ABOVE

Scott Simpson: Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs discusses Chinese peach dumping

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/99864a39-c3a1-4ad5-ad27-b3e800639a24/transcript

John Tookey: AUT Construction Management professor on Auckland-based Scarbro Construction entering liquidation

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