Christchurch Justice & Emergency Services Precinct

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Latest news - 20 November 2017: Christchurch courts complete move to new home

About the Precinct

The Christchurch Justice & Emergency Services Precinct (the Precinct) is a $300 million anchor project, led by the Ministry of Justice.

The Precinct brings together all justice and emergency services in one purpose-built, leading-edge precinct in central Christchurch.

North West Veiw of Precinct

Above: The north-west view of the Precinct from the corner of Lichfield and Durham Streets

Video of Precinct end of project - September 2017

The precinct was officially opened by the former Prime Minister Bill English on the morning of Tuesday 12 September. The video below - Precinct end of project - was shown at the opening.

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Project summary

'This precinct is a significant investment in the Christchurch rebuild and by housing all the justice sector agencies and the city's civil defence and emergency management functions in one location it also shows how public sector agencies can work more closely together.'

Former Prime Minister John Key

The Precinct brings together all justice and emergency services in one purpose-built, leading-edge precinct in central Christchurch. The Precinct, made up of three buildings – the Justice Building, the Emergency Services Building and a car park for operational vehicles – is located in the central city block bordered by Tuam, Durham and Lichfield Streets in the central business district. Its location will play a critical role in defining the southern edge of a more compact and vibrant city centre.

Precinct Blue print

An estimated 2,000 people will work in or use the 42,000m2 Precinct daily. At the peak of construction, in early 2017, more than 1,000 workers were on site to complete the job for Canterbury.

It is the largest multi-agency government co-location project in New Zealand’s history and the first major public building to be built and opened in Christchurch by the government since the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.

The Precinct will help restore confidence in Christchurch as a vibrant city of which its people can be proud. This is an important and exciting initiative for the people of Christchurch and all New Zealanders.

The Precinct will be fully operational in early 2018. It will house the:

The judiciary will also be housed in the Precinct, in a way that recognises and ensures its constitutional independence.

3 buildings, 5 levels, 1100 staff, 900 visitors, 19 courtrooms, 1100m2 floor space, 500 people working onsite during peak construction, 72+ hours emergency operations resilience.

The Precinct is an opportunity to return justice and emergency services in Christchurch not just to their pre-earthquake state, but to a position where they can provide better public services through innovation and new ways of collaborating. Shared communications and a shared emergency operations centre will make coordinated responses to emergencies easier to achieve.

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Consultants

The following consultants have been engaged to assist with the design and construction of the Precinct:

  • Main contractor: The Fletcher Construction Company
  • Project manager: RCP
  • Quantity surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall
  • Architect: A consortium led by Warren & Mahoney, with Cox and Opus Architecture
  • Structural, civil and geotechnical engineering: Holmes Consulting Group
  • Building services engineer: Opus International Consultants
  • Fire engineering: Holmes Fire.

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Find out more about the project

For other enquiries about the project, email christchurchprecinct@justice.govt.nz

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