Apartments planned for former Native Land Court building in Whanganui

Helen Craig says $325,000 in council loans has been drawn down so far. Photo / Mike Tweed

Apartments are being planned inside Whanganui’s former Native Land Court building, but district council approval is needed before work begins.

The building is owned by the Whanganui Heritage Restoration Trust, which is chaired by Deputy Mayor Helen Craig.

The trust bought the building from UCOL in July 2020 with about $200,000 in council funding, and a further council loan of $100,000, for assessment work, was approved that September.

Craig said the process had taken far longer than first thought, mostly because of the outbreak of Covid-19 and the rising costs that followed.

One draft plan involved one-bedroom apartments on the ground floor with second bedrooms upstairs, she said.

“That would have meant putting another roof on and that didn’t sit well, given this is a historic building.

“An architect and engineer had another good look at the site and they’ve come up with a plan that ticks all the boxes.”

The building corners Rutland St and Market Pl in central Whanganui. Photo / Mike Tweed

That was completed by Patchwork Architecture in March and features one apartment with three bedrooms and two with two bedrooms.

There is also a courtyard, a landscaped area and two parking spaces.

Craig said the plan was approved following market research into demand and estimated financial return, and more detailed drawings were being completed.

A quantity surveyor could then estimate the project’s cost.

The apartments would be rented out, with the trust retaining ownership of the building and profits paying back the council.

“Then we’re up and running and we’d continue to talk with council about what to do with future profits.

“Do you want to put them into more [council] heritage grant funds or go into another building?”

Craig said that because the trust, rather than the council, owned the building, it could apply for the Lottery Grants Board’s heritage fund, which would provide 66% co-funding for the build.

The Native Land Court, on the corner of Rutland St and Market Place, was built in 1922 and has Category 1 status with Heritage New Zealand.

In 2013, the Environment Court declined consent for UCOL and Whanganui iwi education authority Te Puna Matauranga o Whanganui to demolish it.

The authority chair at the time, John Maihi, said it had planned to construct a learning centre on the site, but the legal process took years and “in the end, we gave up”.

“It was the first land court in this area, and it didn’t go well for our people,” he said.

“We didn’t want it preserved as a historical building, we wanted a building for the future.”

Maihi said he had met with Craig about the trust’s plans for the building.

“I said if they were going to turn it into something historical, we need to put something there that marks the history of our suffering.”

Craig said part of the project involved iwi providing a narrative about the building’s history and its impacts.

A consent for demolition was declined in 2013. Photo / Mike Tweed

“This is a place you can hang those stories off, and a place where people can learn more,” she said.

“I would also like to put up a website that not only talks about the restoration, but is a source of knowledge about the Native Land Courts.”

In 2023, the council voted to loan the trust a further $110,000, including about $60,000 to repair the roof.

Craig said $325,000 had been drawn down so far, and the change in plans meant extensive roof work was on hold.

The project will be workshopped with district councillors in July, followed by a public agenda item at a council meeting the following month.

“I think some people will say it’s not our [council’s] core business, but generally people love our heritage and they don’t mind projects that have the right outcome,” she said.

“If it was 100% council-funded, you would say, ‘Nope, we don’t have a role to play’, but it’s the Lotteries funding that is the key.”

If the council declined to go any further, the trust would look for a funding partner in the community or put the building back on the market, she said.

“We’d have to fold up the trust and walk away.’

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.