(JAZZ MUSIC) - Tonight ` she's living next to the remains of a burnt-out house. What's more ` it's tested positive for asbestos. - Kids go up and down there ` every afternoon, they're riding up and down on the footpath, you know, within feet of this asbestos cladding. - So why is no one taking responsibility? - I'm sure if it was in their backyard, they'd have a different attitude. - And three failed attempts at getting a passport photo ` why can't this traveller get their mugshot over the line? - I don't want a refund; I want a photo that works. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023. - Tena koutou katoa. Welcome to the show. Now, imagine not wanting to hang out in your own backyard, because you're worried it might make you sick in the long run. - Mm. That's what happened to Tara, who discovered the burnt-out house next door had asbestos. And what's worse, she couldn't get anyone to do anything about it. Alistar went looking for answers. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) - So, we're gonna take a sample to either prove or disprove that asbestos is present. - In this damaged structure. - The white fibres that we can see here is a strong indication that it most likely does contain asbestos. - Which is a big worry for Tara Mclaren ` she lives next door. - I am scared. I would be absolutely devastated if it was in my property, and especially inside my house. - Given how close she is and also how exposed the structure is. - It terrifies me. I don't know if the wind's bringing fibres with it. I don't know if it's safe for us to be out here. - The view from Tara's side of the fence... - Yeah, far out, that's an eyesore, all right, isn't it? - ...even surprising Farren, an asbestos specialist. - I'd actually feel exposed as well, staring at that every day. - Yeah. - The place has been tested before, in 2019, by the Waikato District Council. It confirmed there's asbestos on this structure, but Fair Go wants to know if those asbestos fibres have travelled through the air, and if there's any present in Tara's home. (BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD'S 'FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH') - This was supposed to be Tara and her family's dream home. - The dream kind of turned into more of a bit of a nightmare. (CHUCKLES) - We're catching up with Tara at her local pub. - I was told by a neighbour that there was asbestos in the cladding, and it wasn't long after that that my dog brought a piece of it inside. - That cladding was ending up on her property, so Tara put up black mesh to stop it. It helped, but didn't ease her concerns about asbestos in the air. And it's not just her pets' safety she worries about. - The consequences that could impact on my son's life. Yeah. He doesn't deserve this. Sorry. (SIGHS) I think it's really important that they get it sorted, not just for me, but for our community, the whole community, you know? (SOMBRE MUSIC) - The problem started in 2018. A few months before Tara moved in, the house caught fire. During a fire, asbestos materials will crack or spall, meaning flakes of the material fall off. That's when the asbestos particles can become airborne. - Once the asbestos is airborne, then that's when we have concerns. - In 2019, Tara found out, from a neighbour, that the property had tested positive for asbestos after the fire. She called the Waikato District Council for help. It told her they were satisfied the structure currently posed no public risk, but Tara was less sure. - Kids go up and down there every afternoon ` they're riding up and down on the footpath, you know, within feet of this asbestos cladding. I sort of thought that surely, it wouldn't be allowed to be just left in that state, if it had asbestos in it. - And the precautions that council has put in place to warn others? - They've put up laminated bits of paper saying, 'Hazardous ` stay out,' and a plastic orange fence which really does nothing. I think it's a joke. - So if council says it's not dangerous in its current state, how much of a risk does it pose? We brought in the experts. - In its current state, the risk is quite low. - That's because the asbestos materials are mixed with cement, which is largely intact. - However, it's the longevity, it's the prolonged exposure which gives it a medium risk. The fact that it has, sort of, prolonged, it's very unusual and should have been remediated fairly urgently. - The longer someone is exposed, the more chance there is of breathing in asbestos fibres ` this is called a dose-response relationship. People who are exposed to high fibre concentrations over a long period are the most at risk. Tara's been here for five years; that's a long period. As for the concentration of the fibres in the air around Tara's home, we can't be certain ` it's this uncertainty that leaves Tara feeling vulnerable. - When it's really windy outside, I've sometimes walked in from the car to the front door and realised when I open the door, I'd been holding my breath. - And we were holding our breath for the test results. - So, laboratory analysis has confirmed, Tara, that, yes, we know asbestos is present in the cladding. - And what about Tara's house? - So we haven't had any cross-contamination into your property at this stage. - (SIGHS) - The air monitoring has indicated that the airborne fibres are zero and zero. - I feel really good that it's not contaminated at my house ` that is, like, a huge relief, um, but does that mean that it's not gonna happen in the future or...? - There will be one or two fibres that do get airborne, and over a long, long period of time, that increases your likelihood of exposure. We need to get something done about it, yes. - Tara has tried to get something done about this ` she's been to her council several times, as well as the Waikato Regional Council, her local MP and the Ministry For The Environment. She feels she's got nowhere, but there's another party that you've likely been wondering about by now ` the property owner. We'll get to that soon. In a letter provided to Tara, Council Chief Executive Gavin Ion tells local MP Tim van de Molen... According to Gavin, the damaged property didn't meet the definition of a dangerous building under the Building Act. As for building a more robust boundary around the property, council says if it were to construct one, or remove the asbestos themselves, it would come at a significant cost to the general ratepayer ` this is not something it wishes to do. - I'm sure if it was in their backyard or right next door to them, I'm sure that they'd have a different attitude as well. - Still a lot of unanswered questions, and we will get to those. But first, just a note about safety practices during that filming ` Fair Go followed specialist advice, throughout the testing process; masks only came off at a safe distance, and given Tara lives there, she chose not to be masked. - OK. E haere ake nei, coming up in part two ` we're gonna put all those important questions to the council. - Why haven't the asbestos materials just been removed? - Plus ` passport photos, love 'em or hate 'em, they are with you for a decade. - Flat light; no hard shadows, there shouldn't be a problem; straight on, no big smile. - How to get your mugshot just right. - Smile. (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) - Kia ora, nau mai, hoki mai. Welcome back. Now, before the break, we met Tara. For four years, she's lived next door to the remains of a burnt-out building with asbestos. The worry for her has been all-consuming. - Now, the asbestos specialist that Fair Go took to the property told us the danger of long-term exposure to the substance meant the building should be demolished and safely removed. So our next step ` the council. (SOMBRE MUSIC) - Positive for asbestos, but the council doesn't consider it a risk to the public. And with the owner deceased, the council says, it has no right to go on the property unless there's imminent danger, except council tells us it has been on the property to collapse part of the building for safety reasons. It's time to ask questions of the council. Why haven't the asbestos materials just been removed? - Because it's private property, and unless there was issues, unless it was dangerous, we don't really have the ability to do that. - Is it not a danger if she's been there for five years and the asbestos material is still there? - We did a risk assessment, and the conclusion we came to was it wasn't going to be airborne ` it wasn't a matter of public safety or a safety risk. We contacted the public health unit and sought advice from them about the assessment that we had made. - Council also took part of the wall closest to the footpath down. - Basically it was collapsed, and that was all done bearing in mind and done safely knowing that there was asbestos involved. We have erected temporary, um, fencing around the property; we've put signs up indicating danger and hazardous materials. - But when Fair Go visited recently, the orange fencing was falling down, the signage was falling apart and was unclear. And according to Tara, it doesn't stop debris from shedding elsewhere. And remember that chunk of wall we tested earlier? It fell on the council berm ` surely this becomes their responsibility? We asked property lawyer Joanna Pidgeon. - That means council land is now contaminated, and they are responsible for dealing with the contamination on their own land. - We have not seen any pieces of, um, asbestos material on our council berms, when we have inspected the properties, so that was news to us that that was the situation. If someone finds that, they should notify us, and then we can do something about it. - OK, consider them notified, but what about the owners? Hi. This is Alistar Kata calling from the TV show Fair Go. We contacted the family member most involved with the house, who's been trying to take ownership of the property. - It all got left in limbo. - Right, so it's the cost. - The rates are about 35 grand; to remove the asbestos is gonna be about 50 grand, and the section's worth about 120, so you do the calculations. (LAUGHS) We tried to go through lawyers and all sorts of things; they wanted 20 grand just to even look at doing anything with it. - So, what about the asbestos on the property ` any concerns there? - I was quite happy to clean the place up, but now that there's been a big hoo-hah made about it and it's gonna cost thousands of dollars, at the end of the day, it's not my responsibility ` the house isn't in my name. - The council, however, has escalated things. - We were told in 2020 that they were intending to have the... the building demolished ` um, they didn't do that. We are now in the process of going through having a process for the land to be declared abandoned. That would then enable us to take some action. - When was that initiated, and how long will it take? - Look, I can't comment on that ` I don't know the process well enough. I'm not an expert on abandoned land. - If the property is unclaimed and we can't work out who actually owns it, the Public Trust has the ability to step up and... and to apply to manage that property. There's no set timeframe ` you've really just got to establish that you can't contact the owner or the owners' died and there isn't an executor. - Tara can only hope that the process is completed sooner rather than later; her life has changed massively while living here. - I just don't wanna be outside. You know, Jake and I used to go out most afternoons and play pole tennis or, for a while there, we had a swimming pool as well, and we just stopped wanting to go outside because we don't know how safe it is. - She wants to sell her house, but who wants to live next to this? - Your home's your sanctuary, it's your safe place, it's where you're meant to be able to go and be safe, and... and it's not that any more. - This is an awful situation. The council has put in new signage and danger tape around the house, so things are moving forward... a tiny bit, a little bit? - Somewhat at glacial speed. Now, we hope the abandoned-house application does go through quite a bit faster, so Tara can rest easy and her life can finally return to normal. - Absolutely. Now, after watching Tara's story, you may have concerns about asbestos at your place and questions about how to spot it. - Like how common is it? How can you identify it? And where is it most likely to occur in the home? Luckily, Alistar has all the answers. - Let's start with whereabouts in your home you're most likely to find asbestos. First up, we're looking at homes built before the 1990s, when asbestos was used outside ` in roofing and also in some types of cement cladding. Then inside, it's found in the kitchen and bathroom, where it was used as backing material for floor tiles and vinyl. It was also popular for textured ceilings and sprayed-on wall surfaces. And in the kitchen and lounge, asbestos was also used in insulation board for thermal protection, say, around fireplaces. But remember, as long as the asbestos in your house is undisturbed, it's deemed to be safe. It's only when you fire up the old DIY skills that things may get risky. When asbestos sheeting or other material is broken or otherwise damaged, the fibres are released and can be inhaled, and that's what can lead to illness. So we're talking about home renovation, removing those textured ceilings, cutting or drilling through asbestos-cement sheets or, say, working to remove lino or tiles containing asbestos. If you're planning those renos, or if you've accidentally exposed something you suspect is asbestos, you should get the material tested before you do any work, or dispose of any material. You can find a list of accredited laboratories on the IANZ website. Use keyword 'asbestos'. Let's finish by saying the risk of developing asbestos-related diseases is extremely low if you've had what the experts call low-level, short-term exposure. So in the home, that low risk is because of the amount of asbestos, which is usually quite small, combined with the length of exposure, which is usually pretty short. If our story has rung any asbestos alarm bells relating to your house or your plans to renovate, absolutely get it professionally checked out; then you can rest easy. - Thanks, Alistar. Great advice. - Yes. Coming up, he had three goes at a passport photo ` why couldn't this traveller get his image over the line? - I don't want a refund ` I want a photo that works. (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) - Kia ora, nau mai, hoki mai. Welcome back. Now, when overseas travel opened up, whoa, exciting, and we had to allow a little extra time for passport renewals, while they accommodated the rush. - That's right. So when Dwayne applied for his, he expected some delay; what he didn't expect was to have his passport photo rejected not once, but three times. Garth has the story. - Step right this way to the home studio. (BRASSY MUSIC) - This is Duane Jenkin. - Now, that's fantastic. OK. - You'll be seeing his face a lot in the next few minutes. - My wife was travelling overseas for work, and there was a chance to tack on a break at the end of that. - Duane just needed to renew his passport. - Work the camera. - The trickiest bit was the photo. - How hard can it be? - Have a guess, while you're watching, how many New Zealand passport applications got knocked back last month due to a bad photo? You might be surprised. Answers shortly. - I took two myself, and they didn't pass the automated testing, so clearly I'm not a very good photographer. And then I went to the Warehouse Stationery and got them to take a proper professional photograph ` I thought I should stop dilly-dallying around ` and that failed. - It took Duane three attempts at three stores to get a passport photo that the authorities would accept. - Passed the automated testing, but then failed the person manually checking it. - Duane doesn't have two heads, and he's not on an Interpol watchlist; the photos failed on quality grounds. - The first time it failed, they came back and said that there was a shadow in the background. Had I had known that now, I would have rejected the photograph at the time. - Second time, Duane was in Auckland and popped in to a Life Pharmacy. - They again took it properly, with the nice, white background and the lighting, and you sit on the exact spot, and they take the photograph standing on the exact spot, and that... failed as well. - Passports told Duane it looked modified. - The feedback wasn't that I'd edited my face; it was that the background looked edited, which just had me at a loss. - Third time lucky ` another Life Pharmacy, near home in Hamilton. - They didn't have a big bright light shining on me, and they had a pale blue background. And that one went through straight away. - Makes you look younger too. - (CHUCKLES) Well, thank you. - Though the stress has aged him. - Three weeks end to end, I think, from first to last. - What a lot of stuffing around just to try and get a photo! - Yes. - Each of these had cost Duane $20 to $25. He has had refunds, but he wants change. - Look, I appreciate the companies involved refunded me, but it's not about that; it's about providing a service that's fit for purpose and does the job. I don't want a refund ` I want a photo that works. Yeah, I was at my wit's end, which is why I thought I'll contact Fair Go, cos I figured I can't be the only person having this problem. (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) - Digital photos are instant, but answers from big chains and government departments take longer to develop. While we wait, we're asking an expert. - So, how hard is it to take a good passport photo? - It's not that hard! Flat light, no hard shadows ` there shouldn't be a problem. Straight on, no big smile. - And it helps if you listen to the photographer. - Stop talking. Yeah, stop talking. Don't talk. Listen to the person who's taking the photo. Have a serious face. Look straight down the camera. Breathe, and hopefully, that's enough. But you can't control what a human's gonna do in front of the camera, right? - Or behind it. So, what does she make of Duane's portfolio? - This was the first one that got declined. - What? Why? - Cos there's a shadow there, which is apparently a problem. And this one. - See, the focus drops off ` his eyes are kind of in focus here, and then it just really drops off. - Hmm. - They're probably wanting a bit more depth of field. - And then this, totally fine apparently. - Oh. OK. That looks to me more like it's been cut out. - But they loved that. - Really? - Mm. I dunno. - I would be frustrated if I had to go through that process three times. - Yeah. About that ` Warehouse Stationery says... - We've recently had the Department of Internal Affairs audit our passport-photo process, including visiting our stores to review our process and give us feedback on the areas that... - Life Pharmacy trains new staff and checks their work. - Typically for a period of four weeks, until they can do it... Staff can also cross-check with an experienced team member if unsure. - They confirm Duane's photo was edited and can't say why, but... - We've tried both photos, the original and the edited, in the Passport NZ passport photo checker, and both passed, so we're confused as to why it was rejected later. - For the Department of Internal Affairs, that online checker is only one step in the process. In fact they've updated that checker, widened the acceptable range, which lets approximately 10% more photos through that first hurdle. But only so far, last month, the Passports Office rejected 9497 applicant photos ` that's 19% of everything it looked at, basically, that's one in five, from 50,000 applications sent back ` and about the same proportion the month before and the month before that. They know you may not have a Helen handy, so they made a very clear video explaining how you can use a smartphone to do the job instead. - Stand about half a metre in front of your background, and have the photographer stand about 1.5m away from you. - Duane did get his new uruwhenua, or passport, but the moment had gone. - I thought I'd better postpone my trip, because I just don't know if I'm ever gonna get a passport. - So no trip to Melbourne? - Not in the end, no. - But he's taking consolation... - Perfect. - ...that at least now, you'll go into this with your eyes wide open. He missed his trip! Oh, that's heartbreaking. - Three times! - I'm glad he got there in the end. I'll tell you what's painful ` trying to take a passport photo of a baby or a toddler. Argh! - Ooh. Or a 10-year-old that's hungry. - Yes. Right, that is it from us, But if you only caught part of the show, you can catch all of it, plus past episodes and some handy consumer information on the Fair Go page on TVNZ+, because we're always there to help. - We are here to help. Our programme is about you and your consumer aches and pains, huge, medium-size or teeny tiny, we've got them all covered, so please do get in touch. - That's right. We're on Facebook and Instagram; you can go to our webpage, tvnz.co.nz email us ` fairgo@tvnz.co.nz or write to us ` PO Box 3819, Auckland 1140. - Thank you for watching. Until next week, we love your letters ` keep writing. Pippa will answer them all personally. No problem. Until next week,...