Nelson mayor reassures 'open mind' on civic centre options
Fri, 14th Aug 2026 (Today)
Nelson Mayor Nick Smith has sought to reassure residents that all three civic centre options are on the table amid fears the council had already made up its mind.
About 100 residents spent their Wednesday evening hearing Nelson City Council officials give details on three location options for its future civic facility.
The project will combine council offices and chamber, library, and community hub facilities into a single building.
Slated to cost at least $73 million, the project will proceed as the Elma Turner Library and the internal Civic House systems reach the end of their lives.
The question that has been put to residents is where it should go: to stay at and redevelop Civic House, to buy land and build a facility on Church Street, or to lease land to build a facility on Collingwood Street.
But some of the questions fielded from the public suggested that the civic centre's site was a foregone conclusion.
One resident noted the timeline for the project, with the Civic House redevelopment projected to take up to 63 months, beyond the 2031 completion date.
"Have you already made up your mind or are you actually putting this out for consultation so that we can have our say?" she asked, drawing a round of applause.
The Civic House option would take between 41 and 63 months, depending on whether staff were moved out during the redevelopment or not, with the 41-month option fitting within the 2031 timeframe.
A second resident noted that the consultation material used different colours for the different options and wondered how the colours would influence people's perspectives.
"To me, green means go, so I would say that you probably already chose the Church Street."
A third had "got the feeling" that the council had decided on Collingwood Street.
"Will you… go for what you want, or will you take notice of what [the submissions] are saying?"
Mayor Nick Smith gave his "absolute assurance" that all three options were in active consideration.
Having attended "over 20" meetings on the topic, he said he had not heard any councillor or staff member declare their support for a single option.
"I have heard every single elected member come into this process with an open mind," he said.
"This process is being done in good faith, and if you ask me to take a bet on what myself and my colleagues were opting for right now, I would have absolutely no idea."
The fate of the Free House, the pub housed in a historic church, which currently sits on the Collingwood Street site proposal, was also a concern for many in the crowd.
"If you do choose option two, what provisions would be made to incorporate Free House into your plans?" one resident asked.
Deputy mayor Pete Rainey said the pub was a "place that I love" and a Nelson "institution" but added that the project was about finding the right home for the city's civic facilities for the next 50–100 years.
The site was still to be decided, and he urged submitters to share what they loved about the Free House so that if the council did eventually opt for Collingwood Street, it knew what elements to try and accommodate.
"There's huge value in what the Free House represents, and it's not just about being a part, it's about all of the community activity that happens in there."
Rainey highlighted that Ashburton's new library had incorporated the town's historic Pioneer Hall and said retail and hospitality businesses were common elements in modern civic facilities, though a heckle requesting "beer in the library" went unacknowledged.
In response to other questions, Smith said there would be ample time to accommodate the practical effects of merging with Tasman into the final civic centre design if the region was told to amalgamate early next year.
The council office floorspace had also been calculated based on six desks for every 10 to accommodate flexible working arrangements and the changing nature of office work.
Developers had expressed interest in both the Civic House and Elma Turner Library sites, with council estimates putting $5 million price tags on each location.
Paul Shattock, the council's community engagement manager, urged people to have their say on the significant project.
"No matter how short or long the submission is, it's really important that you do make a submission."
You can find more information and submit on the council's Shape Nelson website.
Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
