Southland District Council To Move Staff To Single Building
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- Council purchased Henderson House in Invercargill for $3 million plus GST.
- Building refurbishment is budgeted at $15.75 million and planning will begin soon.
- Henderson House aligns with Council's future local government reorganisation plans.
Southland District Council will bring its staff together under one roof after purchasing Henderson House on Kelvin Street, Invercargill. The property, acquired for $3 million plus GST, will serve as the central office for Council’s Invercargill operations.
Chief Executive Cameron McIntosh explained that operations have been spread across three separate buildings for nearly five years, a situation prompted by the discovery that the original Forth Street building was earthquake-prone. “A lot of work has been carried out to look at many different solutions, including leaving staff in the three different offices, including two leased ones in Don Street, but the one that makes the most sense was when Henderson House came on to the market and we investigated if that would work and what cost it would be,” Mr McIntosh said.
The Council considered relocating offices to a district location following suggestions from some ratepayers. However, higher costs and the logistical challenges of attracting and retaining staff made the idea impractical.
Since 2015, improvements to the Forth Street building had been included in Council budgets, though no significant investments were made except for storm-related emergency repairs. Instead, Henderson House was identified as the more cost-effective alternative, with a long-term budget of $15.75 million for the necessary refit.
Planning for the refit and subsequent staff relocation will begin soon, though exact timelines are yet to be determined.
Mr McIntosh clarified that this purchase does not alter Council’s plans for a reorganisation of local government in Southland, which aims to reduce the region's four councils to two. He stated: “Reducing four councils to two in Southland, with one being urban-focused and the other rural-focused, will ensure that rural Southlanders are fairly represented and have a local voice. The Henderson House purchase is part of the work needed to enable us to provide that fair representation when required.”
The new building is also seen as offering potential for future expansion to meet the needs of the proposed local government structure.