The boss of the engineering firm that designed Christchurch's CTV building, which collapsed killing 115 people during the February 22, 20l1 earthquake, has apologised to bereaved families.
Alan Reay, of Alan Reay Consultants, read out a statement to the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission of Inquiry in Christchurch today, saying he felt for those who had lost loved ones in the "terrible tragedy".
"I've spent my life working in engineering and have always tried to maintain the highest standards of the profession," he said.
"I apologise to all the families affected as this building did not meet my standards."
Previously during the inquiry, which is into its seventh week on the CTV building collapse, Mr Reay produced records to show he had worked only three hours on the CTV project and it was mainly the responsibility of one of his senior engineers, David Harding.
The inquiry has also been told that city council consents officer Graeme Tapper had come under pressure from his council superior to sign off the CTV plans in 1986 despite raising earthquake risk concerns.
Mr Harding told the inquiry today that the concerns raised by Mr Tapper suggested the drawings submitted to the council had not been finished, Fairfax Media reported.
Mr Harding had not seen the drawings, believed to have been prepared by draughtsman Wayne Strachan, before they were submitted to the council a month after the original permit application.
"The list Mr Tapper came back with had some items on it which Wayne wouldn't have missed," Mr Harding said.
"If he had finished the drawings... there wouldn't have been those things needing to be asked for. They would have been done."
NZN