Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has re-started the sale-by-tender process for the temporary accommodation village used by crew working on the Kaikōura earthquake recovery.

Owned by the NZ Transport Agency and KiwiRail Wand used by their delivery agent, the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery alliance, the ‘NCTIR village’ is located on leased farmland in Kaikōura.

Transport Agency Owner Interface Manager Colin Knaggs says the village still plays an important part in works along the Kaikōura coastline.

“We’re now in our final year on the project and we are working to make State Highway 1 safer and more resilient for the future. The Request for Tender is the first step towards demobilising the village as we complete the project.”

NCTIR has a full workload planned through to June, when work will begin to wind down to completion of seasonal works in late spring 2020. The village will continue to operate until June when it will be demobilised. The land is expected to be returned to the landowner later in 2020, he says.

The village was put up for tender in early 2019, but as additional work was added to the NCTIR programme and physical works were extended, the housing was still needed for workers.

When the village closes in June, alternative accommodation for the remaining workers will be found by working with local Kaikōura accommodation providers in a continuation of the relationship with local business people.

Currently there are 115 people staying in the village, down from 180 less than two months ago. Numbers staying in the village vary depending on the work projects underway, Mr Knaggs says.

In the aftermath of the November 2016 earthquake, when accommodation was at its tightest, the village enabled NCTIR to bring in a full contingent of workers to rebuild transport networks. It has 300 rooms, a large kitchen and recreation area and administrative facilities.

For more information on purchasing the village, register on GETS at www.gets.govt.nz to gain access to the RFT documents. The RFT was posted on GETS Friday 7 February 2020 with responses expected to be submitted no later than 4 March, 2020.

© Scoop Media