Restoration of quake-damaged Provincial Chambers could begin soon

Restoration of an earthquake-damaged heritage building might start earlier than expected if a new budget proposal by the Christchurch City Council goes ahead.

The Canterbury Provincial Chambers, on the corner of Armagh and Durham streets, were severely damaged in the 2011 earthquakes and have been closed ever since, awaiting repairs.

In 2018, the council pushed out all restoration work to at least 2029 as it did not have the money to pay for the estimated $204 million repair bill.

In 2021, the council put $20m in its budget to start work, though the money was not expected to be spent until at least 2027.

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Now, the council wants to bring some of that money forward and get work under way in the next financial year.

As part of its draft 2023-24 budget, which will be voted on in June, the council has proposed bringing forward $2.1m for the chambers.

That would allow the first stage of restoration to begin.

“Bringing forward the restoration work will help to prevent any further deterioration and preserve the buildings,” the council’s head of vertical capital delivery, Darren Moses, said.

Moses said the remaining $18m the council has on its budget would be staged “over a number of years” with the exact timeline decided as part of the council’s new 10-year budget in 2024. Future restoration stages would also be assessed for funding in this budget, he said.

Regarding the first stage of work, Moses said no agreements were in place for who would undertake it.

The first stage would involve the timber buildings and the towers fronting Durham and Armagh St. The buildings would be able to be occupied at the end of the first stage, he said.

Heritage advocate and former city councillor Dame Anna Crighton said the council should set up a group to figure out the process for the restoration.

“The groundwork and foundation for its restoration should be set up now, not when they’re halfway down the track,” she said.

“It’s probably one of the most important buildings left in New Zealand in my opinion.”

Before the Canterbury earthquakes, she was a member of an advisory group for the building, which had been set up as part of a management plan for the site.

Crighton said this group was technically still in existence and should be brought back.

“They have the knowledge, they should be brought back and consulted with and be part of any work going forward.”

The stone and timber buildings that make up the Provincial Chambers were built between 1858 and 1865. They are deemed category one heritage buildings by Heritage New Zealand.

The buildings housed the Canterbury Provincial Council until the end of provincial councils in 1876.

Today, the Provincial Chambers are New Zealand’s only purpose-built provincial government buildings that are still standing.