Wellington High Court to re-open in February

Wednesday 25th January 2017

Wellington High Court will re-open on Feb. 1, though the Law Society library based in the court will stay closed as further work is done.

The two buildings on Molesworth St are structurally sound, but the complex had water and other damage caused by sprinklers and burst pipes, the Ministry of Justice said in a statement. The court has been closed since the 7.8 magnitude Kaikoura quake on Nov. 14, 2016, with cases rescheduled to other courts around Wellington while the registry was based in the Wellington District Court.

"We have the experience of Christchurch to draw on and it is a credit to everyone involved that we are in a position to move back to the High Court building as planned for the start of the year," said Chief High Court Judge, Justice Geoffrey Venning.

In the capital, most of the office building at 61 Molesworth St has been demolished, and demolition of the Readings Cinema carpark on Courtenay Place has begun, while the partial demolition of Queensgate Mall is continuing.

Earlier today, the government announced it would compel owners of buildings with earthquake-prone unsecured masonry to fix them by the end of the year, and has set aside $3 million in funding to subsidise the work. The work can be done without requiring resource and building consent provided it's overseen by a qualified engineer.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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