Auckland Council headquarters on the move
As predicted in in earlier reports, Auckland Council will shift super city workers into 135 Albert St, known as the ASB Tower.
The council yesterday confirmed the purchase of the 21-year-old tower for $104 million.
It said the purchase was a unique opportunity for a sound investment.
Council chief executive Doug McKay says it will produce "significant savings for ratepayers now and in the future".
Savings are estimated at $2.7 million annually for the next 10 years. The council’s CBD accommodation budget annually is approximately $23.7 million.
The council says it will make savings by housing more staff in a single building as CBD employees are currently scattered across seven locations.
The prior arrangement of ad hoc combinations of leases and owned buildings had to end as it was too expensive, Mr McKay says.
The new headquarters is estimated to hold 2400 staff and provide 1200sq m of dedicated "civic space" for meetings and functions.
The council will retain existing properties Bledisloe House, Graham St and the Town Hall.
The fate of the Civic building is yet to be determined and the council says it will consider the structure’s architectural merit when making a decision.
A final settlement of the ASB Tower deal is expected this month and workers are expected to make the move in late 2013 when lease agreements expire.
Back to home
Back to top
Print
Latest
NBR SERVICES
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Sign up for NBR subscriber content or email alerts
Comments and questions20
Why did the council need to purchase this? Have they heard of leasing?
And have the council not heard of emergency planning? The entire council staff all in one building?
Does the building meet earthquake standards?
some much for merger in order to reduce cost upon ratepayer;
Its not all of Council into one building its reducing the spread from 7 to 4 buildings ..
Having worked in the building - it also needs in my view lots of renovation as is quite old fashioned in lots of areas including the lobby etc all that horrible marble and gold lettering , this included in the cost? Also given how ASB have been using it vs what a council would need , It would need a significant refit anyway - where's all this cost being mentioned?
what the cost of fit out - new letterheads etc
You have identified the elephant in the room. Heaps of petty bureacrats spending our rates all busy busy full of self importance and not improving the city and services we require one jot. All those hidden costs. I guess the consultants, IT, furniture and print brokers will be salivating.
Further proof of a Local Authority out of control. Time for a slash and burn campaign - and get those staff numbers down, productivity up and some timeframes around delivery of services in an efficent user friendly way.
Totally agree with your comment Tumbler -- I understand there are 35 staff in the Heritage Dept alone -- what do they do all day for 5 days a week ??
Any untoward conflicts of interest between those who bought this property and those from whom this property was bought?
Where are the publicly-available 'Registers of Interest'?
WHO IS CHECKING?
Penny Bright
'Anti-corruption campaigner'
www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
why do AC staff need to be in the CBD?
This is Rodney Hide's legacy - a foolish monument by a foolish man who was trying to impress his girlfriend of his 'power'. So much for the association of consumers and taxpayers (ha ha).
The council shouldn't be in the CBD, they should be somewhere cheaper.
Any untoward conflicts of interest between those who bought this property and those from whom this property was bought?
Where are the publicly-available 'Registers of Interest'?
WHO IS CHECKING?
I did some checking.
This is what I found................
________________________________________________
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10816011
Council eyes $122m ASB tower for new HQ
By Anne Gibson
5:30 AM Thursday Jun 28, 2012
The Auckland Council plans to buy new upmarket headquarters so it can quit a civic high-rise block tentatively earmarked for demolition.
The council has entered private negotiations to buy the ASB Bank Centre, valued by an Australian institutional fund at $112 million, substantially upgrading it for its staff and housing many of them under one roof.
......................................
ASB Bank Centre, 135 Albert St.
Valued at $112 million, owned by Brookfield Multiplex
31 levels with extensive carparking."
____________________________________________________________
http://www.business.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/886938
_______________________________________________________
BROOKFIELD MULTIPLEX CONSTRUCTIONS (NZ) LIMITED (886938)
Last updated on 14 Dec 2011
Company number:886938
Incorporation Date:17 Dec 1997
Company Status:Registered
Company Addresses:Registered Office
Level 8, 66 Wyndham St, Auckland , New Zealand
Address for service
Level 8, 66 Wyndham St, Auckland , New Zealand
View all addresses
Directors Showing 2 of 2 directors
George KOSTAS
36 Johnston St,, Annandale, Nsw 2038, Australia ,
Peter George WALL
233 Beach Road, Campbells Bay, North Shore City, 0630 , New Zealand "
______________________________________________
EXECUTIVE TEAM OF AUCKLAND COUNCIL PROPERTY LTD
http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/ABOUTCOUNCIL/REPRESENTATIVESBODIES/CCO/Pages/council_property.aspx
"Peter George Wall
BCA - Bachelor of Commerce and Administration
ACA - Associate Chartered Accountant
Peter has enjoyed over 30 years in the Property industry participating in development, investment management and the acquisition and disposal of some $1.2 billion of Property assets. He has held CEO roles in public property companies, operated in UK, France and Canada and for 3 years
was Managing Director, Property for Brookfield Multiplex in NZ and he continues to provide consulting services to this company.
Peter is a past National President of the Property Council in NZ, President and Trustee of the North Harbour Charitable Trust, Trustee of the Graeme Dingle Foundation trust and Chair of the Harbour Access Trust which has as its responsibilities the development of the National Ocean Water Sports Centre at Takapuna and ferry services to Takapuna and Browns Bay."
__________________________________________________________
hmmmmm.........................????
Penny Bright
'Anti-corruption campaigner'
www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
You can shove your ferry services to Takapuna and Browns Bay where the sun dont shine -- Takapuna is well served by ferry to Bayswater and bus service into Takapuna which extends around the lake to Milford
Be very careful Penny, you have confused Brookfield Multiplex with Brookfield Asset management. The Herald has got it wrong in that article (not Brookfield Multiplex that owns the building)
Brookfield Asset Management owns the ASB Tower building, but this is a separate company from the construction company that Wall is involved with. They are two different companies.
Really?
Did you miss this bit Pablo?
":Peter George Wall
BCA - Bachelor of Commerce and Administration
ACA - Associate Chartered Accountant
Peter has enjoyed over 30 years in the Property industry participating in development, investment management and the acquisition and disposal of some $1.2 billion of Property assets. He has held CEO roles in public property companies, operated in UK, France and Canada
and for 3 years was Managing Director, Property for Brookfield Multiplex in NZ and he continues to provide consulting services to this company."
How is THAT not a 'conflict of interest'?
When were the giant ca$h cow PUBLIC ever consulted with regarding:
- The NEED for the $UPERCITY to purchase a new building for staff?
Or has the $UPERCITY got SO much spare cash sloshing around that $100 million is neither here nor there?
What was the PROCESS / WHO was involved / WHY was this decision made - IN WHOSE INTEREST$????
Was Peter George Wall involved in ANY way /shape or form?
Don't think this one is going away any time soon...................
Penny Bright
'Anti-corruption campaigner'
www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
They are two different companies!
Brookfields asset mgmt owns the building (investment co)
brookfields multiplex builds buildings. It's a different company
Please show me where Peter Wall is involved with Brookfield asset management?
Thats a bit dodgy... cheers for that Penny....
Why is no-one keeping a closer eye on the rampant corruption in this country? I would hate to think what our rating will be next time... from 3rd to ....???
What measures are in place to check Len Brown's Amitai Etzioni style Communitarianism i.e. a synthesis of corporatism and socialism?
Local government is the soft vulnerable underbelly for all kinds of international treaty sourced (Agenda 21) interference in sovereign Kiwi affairs such as high density housing, restrictions on where to live, work and play over the next few years and what we can no longer do if we own a rural property.
I note that Jim Diers from Seattle is going to be in NZ in August teaching Asset Based Community Development to Auckland Super City staff and local sustainable neighbourhood groups. He's great at creating fractious communities!
Why is Auckland Council using ratepayers money to get a self-confessed Alinsky-community organiser to teach Council how to set up sock-puppet 'faux' community groups with Auckland Council facilitators leading same to a preordained consensus in 'what needs to be done in our community'.
This Delphi technique manufactured consensus stuff is really rearing it's head in Auckland at the moment. One suspects that Penny Hulse's former position at Waitakere Council, where they signed an MOU with ICLEI, is one reason.
Given ABCD is all about high density housing, sock puppet community groups and ultimately an attack on single family neighbourhoods and homes why are we allowing Auckland Council to use our rates to consult with those who are against us.
Is central government protecting us from the Internationalist enrtyists in local government?