13 September 2021
Adam Irish
By email: [FYI request #16491 email]
Dear Mr Irish
Official Information Act Request: ESR Kenepuru Redevelopment
On 25 August 2021 you sent a request for information under the Official Information Act
1982 to ESR as follows:
“I request under the Official Information Act what process has been made towards the
property development at Kenepuru, given the Hon Dr Megan Woods committed $25 million
towards the full redevelopment of the site and facilities in June 2020.
Additionally, since the pandemic and operational demands placed on ESR's facilities what
controls and contracts have been established or put in place to ensure costs do not blow out
the budget for the redevelopment.”
Our response to your request: As you will appreciate the design and construction process for buildings of the size and scale
of the ESR facility occurs over an extended period, and this project is in the early design
stage.
The project management team was assembled in late 2020 to commence work on managing
the planning and design for the new facility at ESR’s Kenepuru campus. Since then, the
following work has been delivered:
• a Return Brief, outlining ESR's needs and aspirations for the new building prior to
design work commencing;
• a Cultural Values assessment, which was developed after manawhenua engagement
with Ngāti Toa Rangatira providing a cultural overview for ESR and the project
development and applies principles of Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge base)
and considers Te Ao Māori (Māori world view) to elevate and integrate the
aspirations of iwi;
• a functional brief which sets out overall functional and spatial needs and details the
types of spaces and areas ESR requires in the new facility;
• studies analysed a range of bulk and location options on ESR's Kenepuru site,
considering budget, ease-of-construction, impact on day-to-day operations on-site
during construction, environmental design, long-term outcomes for ESR and
aspirational design drivers such as those identified in the cultural values assessment;
• concept options provided an overview of the concept direction and explored
formative design ideas;
• a Full Concept Report; and
• a Detailed Business Case was submitted to MBIE on 31 August 2021, seeking formal
approval for the $25m funding the Minister committed to in June 2020.
Work on the Preliminary Design phase will commence in September 2021. Two further
stages of design will follow, before construction is intended to commence in mid-2023,
subject to appropriate approvals, with completion expected late 2025.
The pandemic and operational demands placed on ESR facilities have not impacted the
programme from an operational perspective as the project is managed separately from
business-as-usual facilities operations.
Some cost escalation has been factored into the project budget, and the design team has
completed cost forecasts at each stage of the project to-date to ensure that it remains
affordable, and this will continue throughout the remaining design and construction phases.
Given current market conditions, there will be an ongoing risk around cost escalation
throughout the programme and ESR will continue to monitor and manage this closely.
Your right to seek a review You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
or freephone 0800 802 602.
Thank you for your request.
Yours sincerely
Mark Ottaway
General Manager Business Services
ESR