MEDIA ADVISORY
31 July 2018
ORC’s new Council Chamber in service from tomorrow
Kāi Tahu representatives will bless the new Council Chamber in Philip Laing house tomorrow morning at 8am, in advance of the
first Council meetings in the space.
The Council Chamber taoka ‘Kaitiakitanga’, an artwork featuring elements of whakairo (carved wood) and tukutuku (woven
panels) has been moved to the new Chamber location. ‘Kaitiakitanga’ was presented to the Regional Council by Kāi Tahu ki
Otago Runanga in 1996, marking the 156th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi at Pukekura (Taiaroa
Head).
The Council Chamber has moved several times recently; it was initially part of the main Regional Council building on
Stafford Street, and subsequently moved into a purpose-built outbuilding on the same site. Late last year, the
outbuilding was re-purposed for office space as a short-term measure to address capacity issues in the main building.
Formal Council meetings have since been held in a variety of locations around Dunedin.
As well as the Council Chamber, the Philip Laing House space includes office space for 18+ staff and project and meeting
spaces.