Asbestos scare prompts recall for doors across NZ buildings
Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Fire doors potentially contaminated with asbestos are being removed from buildings, their manufacturer has confirmed.
The scare emerged last week, when Pacific Door Systems Limited issued an alert that some fire door cores may be affected. Investigations are ongoing.
Four new buildings are known to have been affected by the scare including the 11-storey building under construction for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) which has already removed its doors. Christchurch's Te Kaha stadium is testing its 104 fire doors, while the $326m GCSB data centre at Whenuapai air base is carrying out further testing to develop a safety plan.
Investigations were being undertaken at the SkyCity International Convention Centre in Auckland but surface testing so far had found no asbestos residue in occupied or public areas.
Pacific Door’s recall alert revealed doors sold or supplied by the company between March 2021 and August this year were impacted, but the precise timeframes of the contamination issue remained under investigation.
The doors identified for recallwere those already installed but with further “invasive” works pending and doors that had been supplied but not yet installed.
Doors that were already installed and certified aren’t being recalled, but building owners must assume they contain asbestos and update their asbestos registers and management plans accordingly.
Simon Thomas, head of MBIE’s building system delivery and assurance, said the ministry planned to develop guidance to help affected parties understand what was required when replacing the doors.
Its investigation was ongoing and it was continuing to work with Pacific Door Systems, other agencies and building owners.
Thomas said MBIE was reliant on the company to identify where its doors were located and how many were affected.
On its website, MBIE said installed doors were considered safe if undamaged and unaltered, and the presence of asbestos would not detract from the door’s fire resistance and performance.
It was important to note that the FRB core and affected doors were not designed to contain asbestos. The source of the contamination was still being investigated, and clarification was being sought from the third-party manufacturer.
Minister for building and construction Chris Penk said it was pleasing to see the voluntary recall taking place and was being briefed to understand what the implications would be for further action.
He said it was important to consider whether the issue was isolated, or part of a broader systemic problem affecting similar products