Prince's Gate arch

No decision has been made. Council has established a team to assess a range of potential options, before making recommendations.

Options could include reconstruction, potential use of alternative materials, and development of a new arch concept.

Assessment criteria will include public safety, heritage values, cultural outcomes, affordability, whole-of-life costs and long-term sustainability.

Yes, Heritage New Zealand has been consulted and has acknowledged that public health and safety considerations are a key priority.

Council intends to engage with key stakeholders and keep the wider community informed as options are developed and considered.

If further assessment confirms deconstruction is required, the intention is to do this in sections, not to demolish it.

This will enable us to preserve it while future decisions are made and the parts will be stored securely at Council's depot.

It is envisaged deconstruction would happen within two to three months of our initial announcement in July 2026.

The assessments to date indicate that important structural elements have reached their natural life expectancy, deteriorating to the point where the arch would pose a public safety risk in high winds.

Further assessment will be undertaken to confirm whether the safety intervention requires complete deconstruction or of certain parts of the arch only.

Council is closely monitoring weather forecasts so that preventive action like closing the area can be taken if high winds or other potentially damaging weather are expected.

All efforts will be made to minimise disruption during any deconstruction works. Any temporary traffic management, road closures or access changes will be communicated in advance.

Any affected businesses, organisations, event operators and other stakeholders will be informed and kept up to date.

Updates will be provided on Council channels including the website, social media channels and the Antenno app

We appreciate that this is a matter of interest to the public and that people are keen to help or be involved in some way. At this stage we can't yet say what opportunities there might be for community involvement as there is work we need to do first.

However, offers, ideas and proposals from the public will be noted and will be considered, where relevant, as part of the future options phase.

No commitments are being made at this stage regarding future solutions or partnerships.

Right now our priority is ensuring ongoing public safety and planning for the deconstruction of the arch if a further assessment confirms this is needed.

We also need to have further discussions with Heritage New Zealand and we need to assess options.

A decision on how to proceed can then be made.

Independent engineering assessments undertaken in 2024 and 2026 as part of a renewal programme of work identified progressive deterioration of the Prince's Gate arch and a growing risk to public safety.

Key findings:

• Significant deterioration of key structural elements including foundations, column bases and load-bearing timber framing;
• Existing structural defects, including a damaged top chord, compromised foundations and missing structural framing have reduced the archway's structural resilience;
• Further deterioration has occurred due to significant wind events since the 2024 assessment, including loss of additional framing and reduce lateral stability;
• The most recent engineering advice concludes the ongoing stability of the structure cannot be relied upon, particularly during significant wind events or seismic activity and immediate intervention is required in the interests of public safety;
• The latest engineering advice is that the structure needs to be removed regardless of the long-term solution that is ultimately decided on.

Note: The extent of deconstruction required to achieve this safety is to be confirmed through further assessment.

The arch has been on the council's Parks and Open Spaces renewal programme since 2021 when engineering assessments were initiated. This developed between 2022 and 2025 when an engineer's estimate for replacement options and extensive engagement with Heritage New Zealand were undertaken.

A tender was called for in early 2026 with three tenders received and adjusted estimates for renewal coming in at between $799,678 and $1.75 million.

Following an evaluation process that took a number of factors into account, including cost and delivery risks, no tender was approved.

A reset of the programme was then initiated to address immediate public safety risk, scope and methodology for any deconstruction works and to plan the necessary stakeholder engagement.

The immediate priority is to make the structure safe while ensuring the heritage significance of this landmark is appropriately recognised and considered.

Underway

• Ongoing monitoring of weather forecasts and preparations for restricting access if that becomes necessary;
• Establishment of a cross-functional team to: support the work required, coordinate stakeholder engagement, prepare for the future options phase, undertake further technical review to confirm scope and methodology of safety interventions and confirm if in-situ repair is not feasible, confirm deconstruction methodology and plan for secure storage;
• Planning for heritage, mana whenua and stakeholder engagement.

Next steps

• Confirm deconstruction requirements and appoint a contractor to undertake this if it is confirmed as necessary.
• Scoping of the future options will start once immediate safety concerns have been addressed.
• Options will evaluate a range of mid to long-term options for the site including reconstruction, use of alternative materials or development of a new concept.
• Assessment criteria will include public safety, heritage values, cultural outcomes, affordability, whole-of-life costs and long-term sustainability.
• Recommendations will be prepared for elected members, outlining future options and associated implications for consideration and a decision.

Timeframes are yet to be confirmed as these will be dependent on the various phases.

However, the aim is to put recommendations to Council (elected members) by January/February next year and to potentially have a solution in place by the end of 2027.

Maintenance work in recent years has included replacement of broken lattice work, repairs to the top, checks of steel brackets and removal of non-structural timber that has become loose.

The deterioration has accelerated since 2022 due to a large number of high and extreme wind events that have further affected the structure, blowing off or loosening weak or aged timber.