This morning, a blessing led by local kaumātua Tamati Tata took place in the building, before the council handed over the keys to contractor LT McGuinness, which will lead the demolition project.
Commissioner Bill Wasley, who worked in the building as a council staff member when it was first built, said the demolition had been a long time coming.
"The building has been plagued by leaks for years, and in 2014, toxic black mould was discovered inside this building and the adjoining administration block that was demolished in 2017," Wasley said.
"The need to address these issues prompted the council at the time to explore what our future civic spaces could look like, and the role the area could play in reinvigorating our city's heart.
"Sadly, no action was taken so the building has remained here until now, much of it empty.
"The time has finally come to say farewell to the old and make way for a new and exciting chapter for our civic precinct."
Following extensive community consultation over the past two months and hearings held earlier this week, the Commission will now deliberate on the two proposed options for the civic precinct site which were outlined in the 2021-31 Long-term Plan Amendment. A final decision will be made next month.
The council's preferred option was to implement the full refreshed masterplan, called Te Manawataki o Te Papa – 'the heartbeat of Te Papa', as part of a single-phase, staged development estimated to cost at least $303 million.
This would see the development of facilities such as a civic whare (a venue for council and community meetings) and a museum and exhibition/events space, in addition to the library and community hub facility approved through the 2021-31 Long-term Plan (LTP).
General manager of central city development Gareth Wallis said the council had already committed to developing a library and community hub in its 2021-31 LTP, so no matter what decision the commission made in June, the Willow St site needed to be prepared for that development now.
"The quicker we can get this site ready for redevelopment, the sooner we will see it transformed."
Wallis said hoardings were being erected around the site this week and the demolition would be done in stages over the next four months.
"We don't anticipate the demolition will have any impact on vehicles moving through the area during this period, but access to some footpaths may be limited, so we ask people to take care when in the area.
"Given the nature of the project, noise levels will increase at times, but this will be minimised where possible.
"We want to thank the community for their patience and understanding while we undertake this necessary and important first step to restoring our city's heart and creating a thriving and vibrant city centre."
