The Kaikoura earthquakes have impacted the final acceptance of the quotes for the Waihinga Centre/Town Hall project.

The finalised pricing was due early December, however the earthquakes had meant that consulting engineers, Holmes Consulting, were not able to access their building for two days, and also their engineering team was called in to help assess the structural integrity of buildings in the Wellington region for a further two weeks.

This resulted in the final pricing summary not being available until late Wednesday this week.

This does not allow sufficient time for review and analysis of the figures and finalising the contract documentation prior to Christmas.

While this delay was unavoidable, it is anticipated details will be finalised in time for construction to commence early in the new year, meaning minimal if any delays to the overall timeline.