Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd v Wellington City Council

The Court of Appeal, in Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd v Wellington City Council, has upheld the High Court’s decision and ruled that contribution claims are not subject to the 10-year longstop in the Building Act.

As a result, construction professionals, not joined as defendants, are now potentially exposed to contribution claims arising from projects more than 10 years old. That uncertainty could result in construction PI policies becoming more difficult or expensive to obtain.

In this article, Mathew Francis, Katie Shanks, Hugh King, Richard Tosh and Alphonso Sales explain how the ruling creates mixed news for defendant building professionals.