The NZ Transport Agency has started the sale-by-tender process for the temporary accommodation village used by crew working on the Kaikōura earthquake recovery.
Owned by the NZ Transport Agency and KiwiRail and used by their delivery agent, the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery alliance, the ‘NCTIR Village’ is located on leased farmland in Kaikōura.
Transport Agency Earthquake Recovery Manager Colin Knaggs says the village still plays an important part in the earthquake recovery process and the recent call for registrations of interest from potential buyers is just a small step towards the long task of selling the village.
“It won’t be closing any time soon. We still have a lot of work to do and need a place for our team to stay in. The sales process is likely to take many months and by the time it is complete, we expect our worker numbers will be reducing.
“But the fact that we’re able to start the long tender process is a good sign that work is progressing as expected in the region and we’ll be able to leave a safer and more resilient road and rail network behind.”
In the aftermath of the earthquake, when accommodation was at its tightest, the village enabled NCTIR to bring in a full contingent of workers to rebuild transport networks. It has 300 rooms, a large kitchen and recreation area and administrative facilities. When it is sold, the site will be cleared and returned to its local owner.
When the village is disestablished, alternative accommodation for the remaining workers will be found by working with local Kaikōura accommodation providers in a continuation of the relationship with local business and social recovery organisations.
A second, much smaller, temporary village located at the former Woodbank School in Clarence will be disestablished in November this year and the site cleared and returned to its new owners in December. With the reopening of SH1 and completion of the bulk of the work in the north, the Kaikōura Village will be able to accommodate those moving out of the Clarence NCTIR Village.
