A new chapter for the defence force in Dunedin began yesterday with the official opening of the force’s new headquarters in Cumberland St.
The facility will bring together all of the NZDF’s Dunedin-based units — army reserves, navy reserves, defence recruiting and Sea Cadets from HMNZS Toroa and various army and Air Cadet detachments.
The facility will serve as a community hub for those interested in learning more about a career in the navy, army or air force.
The three defence branches were all represented yesterday as a ceremony took place to mark the occasion.
A march starting at HMNZS Toroa in St Andrew St went past the Dunedin Railway Station and on to the Cenotaph, where a ceremony took place.
The march then headed to the new building for the official opening.
NZ Defence Force head of estate and infrastructure Mark Brunton said they had been working on the new building project for a couple of years and it had been outstanding work from many different people for it to all come together so quickly and it looked great.
The new building was formerly the Dunedin headquarters for rural services company Farmlands and it had been converted quickly and was now a real asset for the defence force.
Kensington Hall would eventually be put up for sale and go through the Public Works Act with first option to Ngai Tahu. The defence force was working with the Dunedin City Council over the building being classed as a heritage building.
The new building in Cumberland St had been completely redesigned and repurposed for the defence force and it had a better flow for staff, Mr Brunton said. Hawkins Construction had carried out the refit of the building.
Being on State Highway 1 would also be good in lifting the profile of the defence force, Mr Brunton said.
It had the ability to become a Civil Defence headquarters in an emergency and also had the ability to have plug-in units to the building on the outside.
Commanding Officer of the 2nd/4th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment Lieutenant-colonel Gareth Seeds, of Burnham, said he was proud of the building and it catered for all sectors of the defence force.
It was multi-functional and multi-use, he said.
The facility had 101 locked storage units for cadets and others, he said. Many cadets and reservists were students. He said a couple of students had taken kit home and the flat was subsequently robbed, $11,000 worth of kit being lost. That led to the idea of having locked storage kits in the new building so personnel did not have to worry about losing defence force items.
The building would hopefully get its final sign-off in January.
