Council-owned Earthquake Prone Buildings
In August 2015 the Council decided to earthquake strengthen five public buildings so they meet New Building Standards.
The buildings to be strengthened were the Manaia and Eltham Town Halls, the Hunter Shaw Building in Pātea, the Hāwera Memorial Theatre and Water Tower. The Hāwera Memorial Hall and Kaponga LibraryPlus were also added to this list in 2016.
The combined cost of strengthening the six buildings was estimated to be around $1- 1.5 million.
The Council budgeted $3 million over the next 10 years to structurally upgrade Council owned earthquake prone buildings as part of its Long Term Plan.
The decision to temporarily close the buildings was taken after structural engineers’ reports advised they did not meet the minimum 34% New Building Standard (NBS) and were classified as earthquake prone.
The Hāwera Water Tower was found to be structurally sound, meeting 70% NBS, and would require no further strengthening work which minimised costs considerably.
However unreinforced masonry balustrade on the Tower did present a risk of falling on people during a moderate earthquake event, and would need to be fixed, though the costs would be minimal in comparison.
Background:
- Hunter Shaw Building in Pātea was closed in August 2013 after meeting only 11% of NBS
- Hāwera Memorial Hall April 2015 after meeting only 10% of NBS
- Hāwera Memorial Theatre was closed in May 2015 after meeting only 23% of NBS
- Manaia Town Hall was closed in June 2015 after meeting only 11% of NBS
- Eltham Town Hall was closed in August 2015 after meeting only 20% of NBS
- Hāwera Water Tower was closed in August 2015
- Kaponga LibraryPlus was closed in August 2016 after meeting only 20% of NBS
To date the Council has assessed more than 30 of its buildings across the district and is currently assessing another 20 buildings identified as being potentially ‘at risk’ of not meeting new earthquake building standards.
Progress:
Building | Status as at July 2020 |
Hāwera Water Tower | Complete and reopened (February 2016) |
Hāwera Memorial Theatre | Complete and reopened (May 2016) |
Eltham Town Hall | Complete and reopened (August 2017) |
Manaia Town Hall | In February 2018 Council approved funds of up to $1 million to go towards rebuilding the Town’s Hall. The money has been budgeted for 2020, which gives Council time to consult with the Manaia Community over what will work best for the community in the long term and raise extra funds if needed. |
Hāwera Community Memorial Hall | Complete and Reopened (July 2017) |
Hunter Shaw Building - Pātea | Complete and Reopened (September 2019) |
Kaponga LibraryPlus | Complete and Reopened (December 2018) |
