Our Town Hall

Background to the Masterton Town Hall Issue

Since 2016 the Town Hall and Municipal Buildings located at 64 Chapel Street have been unoccupied. The Municipal Building (which is physically attached to the Town Hall) was once occupied by approximately 70 council Staff. There are ongoing maintenance costs associated with the two buildings, even though they are not being used for their intended purpose.

This image below is an overhead view of the Town Hall site,  showing that there are actually multiple buildings that comprise what is known as the Town Hall, notably the "L" shaped Municipal Offices (where council staff used to work), and the Civil Defence Building (which is still occupied by Civil Defence staff). 

Most of the attractive "facade" is part of  the Municipal Building.

Several plans for the future of the Town Hall and Municipal buildings have been proposed and discarded. Around $1M has been spent by Masterton District Council on developing these plans. This is $1M of ratepayer money which has been largely wasted. The public has held well attended protests against some of the proposed plans, notably an unpopular plan to demolish both the Town Hall and Municipal Buildings.

Ultimately the "Town Hall Issue" is what to do about ongoing costs of the unused buildings, and what to do about the amenity lost to the residents of Masterton as a result of the buildings no longer being used.

Some Relevant Facts

• The "District Buildings" at 64 Chapel Street are classified as one of Masterton's Heritage buildings (exterior only). Parts of the building date back to 1916.

• In 2016 an investigation revealed that the Masterton Town Hall was an earthquake risk, and the building was then closed to the public. The Town Hall is a large open space with a stage, and was used for events such as banquets, weddings and conferences.

• Also in 2016 the council staff started vacating the offices in the Municipal Building (which is physically attached to the Town Hall), for similar safety reasons. Around 70 council office staff worked in the Municipal Building until 2016. The Municipal Building has a Gross Floor Area of 1260m2 (2 floors).

• A third building (physically attached to the Municipal Building) has been continuously occupied by Civil Defence staff. This building has a Gross Floor Area of 480m2 (2 floors).

• In 2016 Masterton Council leased a building at 161 Queen Street (formerly an ANZ building). This building is currently the councils "front of house" where the public can pay bills and meet council staff. The lease costs are around $170k p.a. This building has a Gross Floor Area of 710m2.

• In 2017 Masterton council purchased Waiata House for $4m, which is immediately adjacent to the Town Hall site. This 1400m2 building now houses the majority of council staff, with the rest still residing in the Queen Street building. This building has a Gross Floor Area of 1490m2 (2 floors).

• In June 2021 the council adopted the 2021/31 Long Term Plan, and this included the approval of funding a new "Civic Facility" incorporating offices for all staff, a library, archive, flexi-form theatre and a "front of house". The estimated cost was $30.8m, less $4m from external funding. 

• In June 2022 the "Civic Facility" project was placed on hold due to costs estimates in excess of $70m, which was well in excess of the budget in the Long Term Plan.

• In June 2023, after formal public consultation, a decision was made by council to include options and revised funding for a new "Civic Facility" in the (next) 2024/34 Long Term Plan. Whilst the location of the new Facility is expected to be the existing site, this and the design of  the new "Civic Facility" is not yet known.

• In June 2023 the Council's Annual Plan for 2023/24 was adopted and includes a budget for 140 council staff. It is not certain if 140 staff could be housed in a building the size and shape of the Municipal Building.

• In October 2023 The (Town Hall/Library) Project Advisory Group meets for first time

• In December 2023 a resolution that would lead to demolishing the Municipal Building (except possibly the facade) is put forward by council staff. An amendment is made to have to retain the option of an earthquake strengthened Municipal Building.

• In March 2024 a resolution that would lead (again) to the demolishing the Municipal Building was put forward by council staff (this time by not including that option in the Long Term Plan Consultation document). Again an amendment was made that would enable the Municipal Building to be earthquake strengthened.

• April 3rd 2024 Council Meeting where the LTP supporting documents for the Town Hall options were approved. $38.6m for new Town Hall (retaining the facade), or a total of $45.3m to refurbish the Municipal Building ($16.9m) and build new Town Hall ($28.4m). The MRRA subsequently found out these costs were based on a report by RPS dated 25th Jan 2024 (see below to download a heavily redacted copy).

• May 6th 2024, Consultation on the 2024-34 LTP closes, hearings will be held 22-24th May.

• 5th June 2024, Council meeting on LTP. Submissions are fairly evenly split between not building a new Town Hall, and building a new Town Hall (with extension to Waiata House) at a cost of $42m. Voting for a new Town Hall and Waiata Extension to be built were Cllrs Johnson, Lennox, Holmes, Bowyer, Tuuta, Mayor Caffell, against Cllr Hellana, Goodwin, Nelson. At the same meeting Cllrs Johnson, Lennox, Holmes, Bowyer, Mayor Caffell voted to build a Library extension, against were Cllr Hellana, Goodwin, Nelson, Tuuta.

• 20th  December 2024. Council publishes the Resource Consent Application to demolish the Town Hall and Municipal Buildings (including the Civil Defense Building). A link to the documents is provided below. The deadline for submissions is 4pm, 10th February 2025. The hearing will be before an Independent Commissioner (appointed by the council)

• 10th Feb 2025. Submissions on the Application close, 59 submissions were received.

• March 2025 - multiple documents were published in relation to the resource consent hearing set down for April 14th-16th

• 30th April Legal Submissions deadline

• 21st May. Decision of Hearings Commissioner expected to be released

Frequently Ask Questions (FAQ)

Question: Could all council staff be accommodated back into in the Municipal Building after it was earthquake strengthened?

Answer: At least 110 of the current 139 staff (as at 2024) could be accommodated. It is not clear if this figure could be increased by not housing the "archives" (currently in leased premises) or how many of the 139 staff are based elsewhere (eg Library, Aerodrome, Animal Services etc).

Question: Would Waiata House still be required if the staff moved back into the Municipal Building?

Answer: In council documents it is stated Waiata House would still be required, however it is clear only a small part of the building would be required to house staff not based in the Municipal Building.

Additional Reading (Documents of Interest, click to view or download)