Wellington City Council has today agreed to bring funding forward from the 2024/25 financial year to 2023/24 so the Civic Administration Building (CAB) in Te Ngākau Civic Square can be demolished sooner.

The building, constructed in the 1990s, was irreparably damaged in the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. The Council moved out of the building and the neighbouring Municipal Office Building (MOB) in 2018.

There is currently $8.4 million allocated in the 2024/25 budget for the demolition and Councillors agreed to bring forward $2.4 million of this funding into 2023/24 so the first stages of demolition can begin from March 2024.

Bringing the demolition forward means the redevelopment of the CAB and MOB sites can keep to the timeframes necessary to support the Town Hall being completed.

This project is a key part of bringing the life back to Te Ngākau Civic Square, which councillors committed to doing when they adopted the Te Ngākau Civic Framework in 2021.

Through the framework the Council confirmed its intention to once again make Te Ngākau the cultural, creative and democratic heart of Wellington.

Redevelopment of the Town Hall and Te Matapihi is well underway and today’s CAB decision signals more progress in the re-establishment of the precinct.

The Acting Chair of the Council’s Environment and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Tim Brown, says the Council is committed to reviving Te Ngākau as the heart of the city and addressing the concerns of nearby residents and businesses calling for that to happen quickly.

“I’m excited about the progress we’re making in re-energising this part of our city. Last month the Council decided that critical front-of-house facilities for the Town Hall would be built within the MOB footprint.

“It is critical for the successful completion of the Town Hall that we get this MOB and CAB redevelopment moving as quickly as possible.”

A tender process for the redevelopment of the CAB and MOB sites will open before Christmas and run until March 2024. It will seek proposals for redeveloping the CAB site, while redeveloping or strengthening the MOB, and critically make sure the Town Hall requirements on the MOB site are fulfilled.

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