Developer pitches zero risk to ratepayer council offices

A Christchurch developer has offered to build new offices for Queenstown Lakes District Council that would bring all the council staff into one spot, and act as a civic centre. 

Latitude 45 Development has drawn up plans for the almost 9000 square metre building spread across five floors on the Frankton-Ladies Mile Highway. The proposal is part of the developer’s broader Waipuna Rise development. 

The building would be sandwiched between other commercial buildings and could include public facilities such as a cafe, library or meeting spaces, the proposal shows. 

The design, prepared by Christchurch’s Sheppard & Rout Architects, is for a purpose-built office with public plaza and a “transparent building design [which] symbolises open democracy”. 

It includes covered on-site parking with e-vehicle chargers, extra storage, and bike parking and charging. 

The development proposal says there could be a lease-to-own option but a lease option avoids potential cost over-runs from building. 

“No large capital outlay - avoiding ratepayer criticism when other community projects have priority,” it lists as a financial benefit. 

Council staff are currently spread across five buildings in the CBD. The council owns its main office on Gorge Rd and its leases on the other four expire in 2028. 

Council’s proposed new office building and civic centre - Project Manawa, on Stanley St – was heavily criticised with many against the new build’s CBD location. 

• Renders for the proposed building which could also act as a Civic Centre.

Earlier this year council staff suggested two locations for its new $60 million headquarters – the CBD option which would include a complex land swap with Ngāi Tahu, or Frankton (no address or land specified). Councillors asked staff to include Ladies Mile in the next stage of the work but this didn’t happen. 

Anton Kirkbeck, senior project manager at John Edmonds & Associates said the Latitude 45 proposal could be at zero cost and zero risk to the ratepayer. 

The landowner would develop and retain the building and there would be no development costs or risks for the council or the community, he said. 

He said John Edmonds & Associates was trying to work with the community and the council to address an issue, and the solution could come in ahead of the 2028 deadline as the site is currently under civil construction. 

The proposal document says consent could be sought within nine months of an agreement to lease and building work and fit out would be done in two years. 

The proposal looked at where council staff live and commute from. That’s information councillor Gavin Bartlett indicated he had been waiting for since April 2024 and the council hadn’t provided elected members as of July.  

It found 40 per cent were east of the Shotover and 26 per cent were in Queenstown while 20 per cent were south of the Kawarau and 14 per cent were in Frankton. 

The proposal says with the council at this location, staff travel times would improve and emissions could reduce due to public transport access to the site. 

• The building would be sandwiched between other commercial buildings.

Kirkbeck acknowledged the council would need to do due diligence and gather expressions of interest before it decided to proceed with any proposal.  

“We're starting a conversation around the scenario and if it works out for us then that’s amazing.” 

 Kirkbeck said the proposed site would also be more prominent and provide a Civic Centre which is currently missing from Queenstown. He said the building would bring QLDC’s core services into one building and avoid staff having to walk between multiple buildings as currently happens. 

Latitude 45 Developments Limited is currently constructing a new road connection from Hawthorne Drive roundabout to the site. This will be completed in mid-2026. Civil works are underway, including bulk earthworks and construction of stormwater treatment and disposal solutions for the northern side of the highway. 

The developer’s Waipuna Development already includes construction of townhouses, a proposed hotel and land for commercial use.