The old established Tauranga Club on the 5th level of Devonport Towers in the city's CBD has been forced shut because of toxic black mould contamination.

The mould can cause serious respiratory infections and is regarded as a significant health and safety risk.

The closure has put the prestigious 400 member Tauranga Club, in the city's main street out of operation for at least six months with the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of business, as well as the loss of four full-time and two part time jobs.

The Rotary Club of Tauranga Sunrise, which used the premises has also had to relocate to the Citz Club in the meantime.

Tauranga Club committee chair Phil Green says the black mould was caused by storm water driving in through external windows and doors. 'And as a result we have had mould, or stachbotrys chartarum, growing above the suspended ceiling system.”

The mould was discovered only after the club had instructed an inspector to ensure the building was watertight. A previous inspection in November 2021 was clear.

It wasn't Cyclone Gabrielle that caused the mould, but an earlier storm in late January. 'So as soon as it was discovered I immediately shut the club down and had it fumigated,” says Phil.

Remedial work is already underway. All the gib plasterboard lining is off the interior walls and the actual leak sites are being investigated. 'They will have to take some of the exterior panels off the building to have them resealed and reset,” says Phil.

And that means the club could be out of action for three to six months. It's set September 1 for a provisional re-opening.

The storm damage and black mould is believed to be isolated to just the 5th floor of Devonport Towers. 'We think that's because of the particular storm conditions and the way the Tauranga Club's positioned,” says Phil. 'And we have much more glass than the apartments do.”

During Cyclone Gabrielle there were some smaller leakers in the rest of the building, but they were isolated and minor. It's understood the remedial work to the Tauranga Club, is covered by Devonport Towers body corporate insurance.

In an earlier email message to members handed to SunLive, the club said it had 'raised with body corporate the problem it had been experiencing with leaks coming through the external cladding which is the property of the body corporate , and which the body corporate is obliged to maintain.”

The email also said 'your committee is now working through with its insurers, with the body corporate as the party responsible for maintaining the exterior cladding, and with expert advisers and contractor options for repair and remediation. This is expected to be a long drawn out process.”

When the email went out the club was predicting it might have to stay closed for the rest of the year.

'It's a bit of a bugger,” says Phil. Because we had a full diary of events booked from members, businesses and weddings. We had to make this enormous call around to say sorry, we can't do and explain why we were forced to close. We also helped them find alternative venues and accommodation and for their events.”

The private member Tauranga Club is more than 125 years old. It boasts an a la carte restaurant, lounge, full bar facilities, conference rooms, boutique gym and car parking. The facility provides for business meetings, small conferences, weddings and events for up to 300 people and spectacular views of the city and harbour.

But today the Tauranga Club's answerphone said it was closed because of flooding and the website stated bluntly that it was 'closed.”

However in the email to members, the club said 'its preliminary assessment is that the club will be able to manage the repair and remediation process successfully and reopen as the attractive venue which we all enjoy and value.”