The Pacifica Tower has become a familiar part of Auckland’s skyline.

With 57 floors spread across 178 metres, it is the country’s tallest apartment building. But the Pacifica has also attracted headlines for the wrong reasons. The building’s annual report released in February listed a number of concerns, ranging from fire sprinklers flooding apartments to blockages with the rubbish chute.

NZ Herald property editor Anne Gibson has been reporting on this building since the construction phase and has kept a close eye on it since its completion in 2020.

Gibson tells The Front Page podcast that the management and body corporate committee have been concerned about a number of problems since the ribbon was cut on what was a $300 million project.

“Quite recently, the minutes of the AGM [annual general meeting] listed all the issues in the building,” says Gibson.

“They talk about contractors in apartments accidentally setting off sprinklers, they talk about rubbish chutes being blocked and they talk about resolution of water stains on the window.

“They’ve also been really concerned about sewage coming into the apartments due to blockages in the toilet system. They’re telling residents that this is being caused by wet wipes being flushed down the toilets, and they’re warning that this can’t be done.”

Gibson says this is causing significant damages and has also led to a spike in insurance excess costs for the building.

A slightly stranger recent story to emerge from the Pacifica involves a resident who activated a vibrating device designed to annoy neighbours.

“The device is called a revenge neighbour device,” says Gibson.

“People said that it caused this low hum that just about drove them insane. There were 25 people affected … They just couldn’t stand it and they couldn’t sleep.”

Gibson says that the team at the Pacifica are working hard to address the issues as they emerge and have advised residents to refer any concerns to management. Asked why these taller buildings have so many issues, Gibson says it often comes down to the close proximity of the residents living in the building.

“Apartment living is actually a very new concept for a lot of New Zealanders,” says Gibson.

“Often, among those buying into apartments, this will be the first time that they’ve experienced anything like that. They’re much closer to each other. And you have to be more tolerant. You have to live in quite a different way and you have to be communally minded. You have to function as a group.”

So what happens when people stop functioning as a group in an apartment? Should first-home buyers be cautious about entering the apartment market? What due diligence should you do before purchasing an apartment? And how does the law protect those who are looking to buy a unit in one of our high-rise buildings?