The biggest change came at Stage Two, where RCP introduced the NEC4 contract, a New Zealand first. Learning from the earlier stage, RCP moved the project onto a contract built for collaboration and shared risk between the many parties a restoration like this involves, better suited to its practical and commercial complexity than the approach used before.
Making the precinct self-supporting mattered as much as the restoration. RCP built the business case for a boutique 33-room hotel within the Arts Centre, one that would both serve and draw on its galleries, theatre, museums and retailers, then led the selection of the operator and coordinated their input through design. The hotel now trades successfully and gives the Trust a steady income that backs its core purpose of promoting the arts.
Te Matatiki Toi Ora is an active arts precinct again, home to galleries, a theatre, museums and retailers, its protected heritage buildings set to serve Canterbury for generations.
