Asbestos has been found on the outside wall of the Manapouri Hall, prompting the Southland District Council (SDC) to temporarily close the public building.

SDC chief executive Cameron McIntosh said the hall was being prepared for painting when contractors noticed what they thought was asbestos on the cladding under the windows.

“The contractors contacted us, put up fencing to keep people away and we called in official testers to determine if it was asbestos,” McIntosh said.

Test results received by the council late on Tuesday (20 May) were positive.

McIntosh said the hall was being closed for a week as a precautionary measure, while additional air monitoring would be done around the hall and the clean-up started.

Council staff are working with WorkSafe for a timeline to start the remediation of the site, with the asbestos to be removed completely when this happens, he said.