In June 2023, my company Shorcom was brought in as construction manager for the Beachcroft Apartments development at 96–100 Beachcroft Avenue, Onehunga — an 85-unit complex. Longevity Construction held 5 major contracts on site: painting, insulation, Korok intertenancy walls, carpentry, and structural works.
For over a year, the project ran smoothly. Invoices were paid promptly. We managed 15+ subcontractors. The development went from a troubled, half-finished site to near completion. The scope grew from $31.5M to $42M — all documented through 135 architectural directions.
"We aren't going to be here in 2 years so what does it matter."
— Roger Coulson, Director of Beachcroft Apartments, when told the building had water tightness failures
In August 2024, I discovered the building was failing water tightness tests — a potential leaky building. I told Roger Coulson. His response is above. When I insisted on rectification and proper insurance to protect future purchasers, Coulson trespassed every Shorcom and Longevity staff member from the site and refused to pay two months of outstanding invoices — totalling approximately $1.1 million.
We pursued urgent adjudication under the Construction Contracts Act. The adjudicator awarded approximately $550,000 — but the process itself cost $155,000 in fees and $290,000 in legal costs. Beachcroft then applied for judicial review to delay payment further. Longevity — already struggling from the market downturn — could not survive a client of this size refusing to pay.
Roger Coulson's business partner on this development is Simon Turnbull. Turnbull was convicted of a $33 million mortgage fraud — one of the largest in New Zealand history. He pleaded guilty and was paroled after serving one year.
Maria Slade at BusinessDesk wrote two articles attacking me. She quoted Coulson extensively. She never mentioned his convicted fraudster business partner. She gave Coulson a platform while painting me — the person who discovered a leaky building and tried to get it fixed — as the villain.
The 85 purchasers at Beachcroft now have no 10-year building warranty. I am the one who tried to protect them.