Prince's Arch and Gateway
Response
Sent: Tuesday, 4 August 2026 03:53pm
Subject: Official Information Request - Prince's Arch and Gateway
I refer to your Official Information request of 24 July 2026 for information regarding Prince's Arch and Gateway, specifically the Prince’s Arches.
Question 1:
What assessments were completed before the earlier public announcement that the archway would be removed?
Answer:
A condition assessment and two structural engineering assessments.
Question 2:
Who authorised the proposed removal, and under what council delegation or decision-making process?
Answer:
Planning to deconstruct the Prince’s Arches for public safety is an operational matter. Please also refer to the response for Question 5.
Question 3:
Was the proposed removal discussed at a formal council meeting?
Answer:
Council did not discuss the removal of the Prince’s Arches, however the renewal of them was discussed at the below 2 meetings, which are available on Councils website. Council has included the links to the exact points where this was discussed:
29 July 2026 Council Meeting - a verbal update was provided by the Group Manager – Community Experience.
24 June Council Meeting - the Group Manager – Community Experience spoke to the topic that was included in a slide show presented.
The Prince’s Arches were also discussed at the 22 July 2026 - Te Arawa 2050 Vision Committee Meeting .
Please find time stamps for when the topic was raised below:
- Cr Paterson requested a minor matter/verbal update – 6:06-7:14
- Minor Matter (Princes Gate Arches Update) – 1:27:50-1:1:32:18
Question 4:
Was a resolution put before councillors, and if so, when did the meeting and vote take place?
Answer:
No.
Question 5:
If no council vote was required, could you please identify the delegation, policy or authority relied upon to make the decision?
Answer:
The management of operational safety risks, implementation of controls, contractor management, incident response and day to day safety decisions sit with the Chief Executive and staff under delegated authority. The decision to begin planning for deconstruction was confirmed with the Acting Chief Executive Stavros Michael and an email was provided to Elected Members on 25 June 2026
Question 6:
Were all Councillors informed before the public announcement was made?
Answer:
Yes.
“Heads Up” communications were sent to Elected Members and Council’s Leadership Group at 3pm on 14 July 2026, before the information was published on Councils website and shared with local media. The update was also included in the “Heads Up “14 July 2026 5pm. The Prince’s Arches were also mentioned in “Heads Up” Communications on the 24 June 2026 and the Group Manager – Community Experience sent an email to all Councillors on 25 June 2026.
Please note that the “Heads Up” communications are an inhouse communication, that is targeted to Elected Members and Councils’ Leadership Group.
Question 7:
Will the further assessment include independent timber, structural and heritage specialists?
Answer:
Yes.
Question 8:
Will repair, stabilisation and restoration in place be properly assessed before any irreversible work is undertaken?
Answer:
Council is obtaining an additional Heritage Engineer’s assessment to review all options for making the structure safe.
Question 9:
Will the assessment reports, meeting records and recommendations be made publicly available?
Answer:
Reports have been made available and any future reports will be as well. Any recommendations will be publicly communicated.
Question 10:
Will the community be consulted before a final decision is made about the future of the archway?
Answer:
Yes.
