Smoke Alarms to be Installed in All Housing NZ Properties

Housing Minister Murray McCully has announced that Housing New Zealand has agreed to extend its present smoke alarm installation programme to all of its properties.

"I am pleased that Housing New Zealand has decided to exceed its strict legal obligation and install smoke alarms in all its properties because it wants to show a sense of social responsibility for the low income and beneficiary community it serves," he said.

Mr McCully said installation of 75,000 smoke alarms would take place over a 15 month period at a cost of between $7.5M and $8M in about 60,000 single and multi-unit Housing New Zealand dwellings.

"The company has decided to opt for hard-wired smoke detectors even though they are more expensive than battery-powered detectors because they are more reliable," he said.

The Minister said Housing New Zealand believed that not only could lives be saved but also that there could be a possible reduction in fire damage of up to 30%.

"The Coalition Government put the request to the company earlier this year," Mr McCully said.