Dear Wellington City Council,

I understand that a list of buildings in Wellington with similar construction to the collapsed CTV building in Christchurch has been created.

Please send me a copy of this list.

Yours faithfully,

Thomas Beagle
PO Box 5641
Wellington 6145

Dear Chris Brown,

Thanks you for your response although I must say I find it disappointing. I would like you to reconsider your decision to not release the information.

1. Refusals under section 7 of the LGOIMA are subject to the public interest. I submit that there is a strong public interest in knowing which buildings are at risk of catastrophic failure in a major earthquake. Have you taken the public interest appropriately into account when making your decision?

2. The WCC has claimed that publication of the list may "prejudice the commercial position of the person who is subject of the information", however the subjects of the list are buildings and they cannot be considered to be people. As such, section 7(2)(b)(ii) as quoted by the council can not be said to apply.

3. Finally, even if there was an effect on the commercial position of the owners of the buildings, could this be said to be "...likely unreasonably to prejudice..."? Any changes in valuation based on better knowledge would surely have to be counted as entirely reasonable, not unreasonable. Once again, section 7(2)(b)(ii) can not be said to apply in this case.

Therefore I must reiterate my request for "a copy of the list of buildings in Wellington with similar construction to the collapsed CTV building in Christchurch."

Yours sincerely,

Thomas Beagle