New Whanganui courthouse to go up at old UCOL site

The current Whanganui courthouse on Market Pl, next to Pākaitore/Moutoa Gardens, has three courtrooms. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui is set to get a new courthouse at the old UCOL site.

The Government has announced it is moving ahead with new courthouses here and in Tauranga, which Justice Minister Kris Faafoi said would provide an opportunity to redesign facilities to put victims at the heart of the justice system.

The current courthouse on Market Pl, next to Pākaitore/Moutoa Gardens, has three courtrooms.

The new courthouse is a $50 million project and it will be set up somewhere between Dublin, Wicksteed, Bell and Liverpool Sts - the same area that has been leased by Tupoho Community Complex and contains Te Oranganui Medical Centre.

There will be four courtrooms in the new facility.

The Ministry of Justice was working with local iwi, the community, the Whanganui District Council, New Zealand Police and other agencies to design and build the new site "with principles of community-led wellbeing outcomes", a statement said.

The new courthouse is expected to open in 2025.

The courthouses were part of the 10-year infrastructure investment plan to restore and modernise Ministry of Justice buildings, Faafoi said.

"The buildings will address the safety needs of all participants, including victims, be more family-friendly, and meet physical accessibility requirements for all building users.

"We want to create court facilities which meet the physical, social, emotional, cultural and spiritual needs of New Zealanders. They will also support the Chief District Court Judge's Te Ao Mārama vision for transforming the District Court."

The Minister for Courts, Aupito William Sio, said these new courthouses would support the delivery of wrap-around services for both victims and offenders through the potential co-location of social and community sector agencies on their premises.

"For the first time in Aotearoa New Zealand, courthouses will be designed in partnership with the local community, the judiciary, and local iwi and hapū," William Sio said.

"The Tauranga and Whanganui courthouses will reflect local tikanga Māori as well as Te Ao Māori values."

Faafoi said the new courthouse projects would also bring jobs and associated economic activity to the Tauranga and Whanganui regions.

More than $150 million was approved to build a new courthouse for the High Court and District Court in Tauranga on land next to the current courthouse between Monmouth and McLean Sts.