Sheryl Mai: Work on Whangārei's new Civic Centre begins

The site is in the civic precinct - encompassing the central library, Forum North linking to the shared path, city centre and the avenues, also enhanced by the backdrop of our beautiful Cafler Park.

FROM THE MAYOR'S DESK

I'd like to preface this week's column with an acknowledgement of the recent Covid-19 announcement. We have been asked to act as a team of five million once more, while this second wave is brought under control. Thank you to everyone in our wonderful community for stepping up and working together to create a safe and healthy New Zealand.

If you've been along Rust Ave in the past week, you'll have noticed some changes happening on the old Returned and Services Association (RSA) site. You'll have seen security fencing going up, demolition skip bins put in place and traffic management for the construction vehicles accessing the site.

It's all starting to happen. For the next two years we'll be watching our district's new civic building take shape, beginning with the deconstruction of the existing structures.

A minimum of 60 per cent of the dismantled material will be repurposed or recycled, which is in line with our Council Sustainability Strategy, lowering our cumulative carbon footprint, waste, environmental impact and financial cost.

I am fully in support of this project, as I can visualise the work efficiencies, long-term cost benefits and sense of place this building will bring.

The Civic Centre project has undergone a rigorous series of debates and deliberations for more than 12 years, with all avenues exhaustively checked and rechecked to ensure we are choosing the most cost-effective long-term solution for our civic operations.

This new building will allow all our Whangārei District Council whānau to work under one roof, connecting all our democratic and operational services (including Northland Transportation Alliance) in one accessible location.

This might not sound like an important change - however, if you've ever arrived at Walton Plaza for a meeting with a council department only to discover that your meeting is actually at Forum North (or vice versa), you'll know what a difference this will make to staff and customers.

Increased efficiencies in customer care and service delivery will be natural outcomes of working from one space.

Location is always important, and it was with great delight that I supported the selection of the current site. This is, after all, our civic precinct – encompassing the central library and Forum North Event and Conference Centre, linked to the shared path, the city centre and the avenues, and enhanced by the backdrop of our beautiful Cafler Park.

The site has a long, valuable history – both Māori and European – and we're treading carefully to ensure we treat it with respect. We are completing a cultural impact assessment for the site, which documents Māori cultural values, interests and associations along with any potential impacts, and the RSA identified three trees of significance onsite, which will be carefully moved (with their plaques) to a fitting new location at the RSA section of Maunu Cemetery this week.

The large pohutukawa trees along Rust Ave will also be considered with care throughout the construction process.

I'm also very happy to see the success of the partnership with NorthTec and our construction partners, Canam. This partnership will see a minimum of 10 per cent of the onsite workforce being local apprentices or trainees – that means one in every 10 of those onsite will be either learning a new trade or working towards a trade qualification.

We're working with many local contractors already – including Cato Bolam, Treescape, Tonkin and Taylor, Reyburn and Bryant, Littoralis Landscape Architecture, Barfoote and Culham Engineering, with many more still to come.

I have no doubt that this new civic centre will bring with it a boost in efficiency and an increase in the level of care council is able to provide to the people of our district, alongside genuine long-term financial savings. This is a good move for now, and into the future.

• Sheryl Mai is mayor of Whangārei District.