NIWA Watch: Timelapse footage shows the first step of Scott Base's redevelopment in Antarctica completed with building of new weather station. Fire risks due to ageing electrics and buildings that do not meet safety regulations are just some of the major issues at New Zealand's Antarctic headquarters. The extent of the problems at the remote Scott Base research station have been revealed in a 282-page report. It states the base's water system is 20 years beyond its design life and there is overcrowding in the summer months, with some people having to sleep in modified shipping containers. Joanna Norris/Stuff Scott Base, New Zealand's base for scientific research and environmental protection, is at the southern end of Ross Island in McMurdo Sound.