ECan spent $8m to create an ‘environmental precinct’ - it never happened
Saturday, 8 March 2025
Environment Canterbury (ECan) wanted to create an “environmental precinct” when it purchased heritage-listed buildings near its Tuam St headquarters.
The dream saw ECan buy the Odeon Theatre facade and foyers and the Lawrie and Wilson Auctioneers building in one auction lot for $2.95 million in August 2020, from Ōtākaro Ltd.
It also bought empty land south of its HQ, at 207 St Asaph St, for $1.68m in 2018.
The rationale was to develop a precinct by “bringing together Canterbury’s environmental organisations in one place to foster collaboration, education and innovation, and therefore, enhanced environmental and sustainability outcomes”, according to a council report.
Other reasons were also put forward by staff: “To preserve options for possible future staff accommodation and to control any development that occurs on the site, without the site being compromised by a small footprint or adjoining area”.
These reasons may explain why ECan - whose core roles are environmental regulation, public transport and hazards - spent millions on heritage architecture.
It was revealed last week that ECan spent $1.2m stabilising but not restoring the Odeon facade, 20% more than budgeted.
Documents released to The Press show how the purchases happened.
Staff recommended to council in a July 23, 2020 meeting that the adjoining heritage buildings and empty land be purchased at auction.
The public was excluded from this part of the meeting and the agenda and minutes kept private to preserve ECan’s interests ahead of the auction.
A sub-committee made up of chairperson Jenny Hughey, deputy chairperson Peter Scott and chairperson of the Performance, Audit and Risk Committee John Sunckell was struck to oversee the proposed purchase.
Councillor Ian Mackenzie was added because he had “experience with working with heritage commercial buildings”.
Mackenzie said on Friday that this experience amounted to being on a trust board at the time that owned Ashburton heritage properties and that he lived in a listed farmhouse.
His expressed view at the time was that the Lawrie and Wilson building was worth saving because it was earthquake strengthened before the earthquakes and sustained moderate damage.
His view “was and still is” that the Odeon facade - which ECan has spent $1.2m stabilising - should be “knocked over”.
Other than that, none of the sub-committee members appear to have wide experience dealing with heritage architecture. Scott and Sunckell both farmed south of Christchurch. Hughey was a community lawyer with an interest in environmental law.
ECan chief executive Stefanie Rixecker had a PhD in political science from Purdue University in Indiana, held senior leadership roles at Lincoln University before becoming director of science at ECan in 2016.
She was named acting chief executive in May 2020 and permanent chief executive days ahead of the auction.
There were about 15 business days between the sub-committee’s formation and the auction.
At the July 2020 meeting, councillor Elizabeth McKenzie said “she would require good reasons to explain this expenditure to her rural constituents”. She abstained.
She was defeated at the 2022 election. Hughey did not seek re-election.
Phil Clearwater attended the July 2020 meeting as a councillor. He recalled that ECan was expanding and would eventually need more space. “It made total sense to purchase it in advance” and “it would never be cheaper“.
Heritage architecture was part of the “built environment”, which fitted into ECan’s responsibilities.
He agreed wholeheartedly with a published letter to The Press editor from Dame Anna Crighton arguing that preserving the Odeon facade was “practising sustainability” and preferable to demolition and land filling.
Clearwater did not seek re-election.
ECan spent $2.2m strengthening, restoring and fitting-out the Lawrie and Wilson building. It has space for about 40 work stations and is currently used by ECan staff.
The precinct plan has not advanced so far.