The short version
Stages 1 to 3 together come to about $27.3 million, excluding GST and including a 40% allowance for cost rises. The Masterplan expects that work to happen over the next 10 to 30 years, as funding, partnerships, approvals and dependencies are resolved – not all at once.
These are early numbers
A cost expert – a quantity surveyor – worked them out in 2026, before any design work. Every number already includes an extra 40% in case costs rise, because it is still early days. GST is not included.
No money is committed
The Council has not set aside money to build any of this. Each stage would need its own decision through the Long Term Plan – the ten-year budget the Council consults the public on.
Some things are not counted
Buying land, taking down the old Four Seasons building, looking after existing structures, and day-to-day running costs are not in these numbers.
| Stage | What it covers | Early estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1: Connectivity – joining it all up | The path, plus repairs and earthquake strengthening at the Anchor Building | $3.0m |
| Stage 1: Connectivity – joining it all up | The path around the NCC Electricity Building, a wider Friendship Boardwalk, and decommissioning the old wharf | $4.5m |
| Stage 1 total | $7.5m | |
| Stage 2: Activation – bringing it to life | Reshaped carparks and landscaping along the waterfront, with new bus stops | $3.5m |
| Stage 3: Coordinated development – the big builds | The NCC Electricity Building brought back into use, including the former wharf, the mural and the substation | $12.0m |
| Stage 3: Coordinated development – the big builds | Steps into the sea, and a renewed boat ramp | $4.3m |
| Stage 3 total | $16.3m | |
| Stages 1–3 | The work this plan proposes putting into the Long Term Plan | $27.3m |
Stage 4 – ideas for later
These need more work with others, or a change of ownership or use, before they could happen. None of them is up for funding yet.
| Idea | What it covers | Early estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Custom House | Four options, from keeping it watertight through to removing it | $0.25m – $5.5m |
| More steps into the sea | A bigger swimming area with steps and an accessible platform | $6.8m – $8.6m |
| Shed 1 | Extending the waterfront to Shed 1, working with Port Nelson | Not yet costed |
| Yacht Club and SH6 | A wider path at the Yacht Club, and a new crossing over SH6 | Not yet costed |
Source: quantity surveyor estimate assessment, Draft Haven Waterfront Masterplan, September 2026. All numbers leave out GST, are at 2026 values, and include a 40% allowance for cost rises.
Funding the Masterplan
No single pot of money covers this. Each stage would need a funding decision through a future Long Term Plan. Outside funding and private investment could also play a part.
For the old buildings, the Council could ask the market – inviting private partners to help pay for and run them, rather than paying for it alone. What comes back would shape what is realistic. No decision has been made on this either.
Should we look for money from outside the Council?
The Council could apply for grants and funding from central government, trusts and other funders, and could invite private partners to help pay for parts of the work. That would take pressure off rates.
But it comes with a catch, and we want to be straight with you about it: if we go looking for outside funding and do not get it, some of this work may not happen, or may be delayed.
Question 9, part two
Should we look for money beyond rates – knowing that if we do not get it, some of this work may not happen?
What this means for your rates
Agreeing a masterplan does not add anything to your rates. If a stage goes ahead, its cost – and what that means for rates – would be worked out and consulted on through the Long Term Plan, once the numbers are firmer.
