The Christchurch Justice and Emergency Services Precinct will officially open in August, Justice Minister Amy Adams has confirmed.
A blessing for the precinct was attended by the minister, Ngāi Tahu, tenant agencies, and precinct staff. The confirmation comes after fears the opening of the precinct would be further
delayed to late this year.
“Today’s blessing marks the next step towards completion, with
Ministry of Justice staff being the first to begin their move into the precinct as fit-outs continue. Fit-out of the Justice Building is progressing well and is on track. Fit-out of the public coffee outlet in the customer service centre is also nearly complete,” Adams said. “In the Emergency Services Building, fit-out of the emergency operations centre is now underway. When complete, the purpose-designed centre will provide emergency response capability for local and regional incidents.”
Part of the blessing was the unveiling of a pounamu touchstone.
“This mauri stone will sit on a plinth in the Justice Building atrium. It was gifted from Ngāti Waewae, a Ngāi Tahu hapū based on the West Coast, to the Ngāi Tūāhuriri hapū, who have mana whenua over Christchurch city,” the minister said. “It has been named ‘E Toru Ngā Mea', after the waiata, which refers to the three principles of Whakapono, Tūmanako, and Aroha – faith, hope and love.”
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