Crawford Road move for 20 Eastland Port staff

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Contractors are turning the former Soho and Plunket building into office space for Eastland Port staff.

About 20 staff are to move into the Crawford Road building, which is owned by Eastland Investment Properties Limited.

Eastland Port general manager Andrew Gaddum said port staff were excited about the move to the inner harbour and the refurbished office would add to the vibrancy of the area.

The building, which dates back to the 1920s, was the original head office for the freezing works.

Part of the building houses a huge internal safe where the freezing works payroll used to be kept. In 2006, the bottom half was turned into Soho bar.

Office space is being created on both floors.

Mr Gaddum said the bottom floor needed little refurbishment as its industrial look, with exposed beams and conduits, was to be retained. An internal staircase is to be reinstated joining the two floors.

Mr Gaddum said the move was about making space on port.

“Because of the drive for efficiency at the port we have removed a number of old buildings to free up more space for critical port infrastructure.

“Our current office, at 1 Kaiti Beach Road, was only ever meant to be temporary. It’s been added on to a few times over the years but now it’s next in line to go.”

The 20 staff moving work across a range of Eastland Port divisions, including marine operations and infrastructure and Eastland Investment Properties.

Mr Gaddum said the existing office would be relocated some time next year and the vacant space would be used for efficient and safer truck access, a wash-down area, and log storage.

The building at 2 Crawford Road is split level and has been empty since February.