The coastguard has spent the past four years in portacoms after its earthquake-damaged building was demolished in 2020 as part of the Naval Point redevelopment.
“It’s a little bit unreal for us in some respects because it's been anticipated for a long time,” said coastguard president Mark Leggett.
He anticipates construction of the building will start in the coming weeks and be completed by the end of the year.
The organisation is looking forward to using the planned meeting and training rooms.
A radio room will improve monitoring of the area, while the rescue boat will be stored securely.
“It’s going to be a much better fit-for-purpose building for the activities we require.
"It’s going to be a training space, which should also be used by the community.”
The headquarters will be the first building constructed as part of Christchurch City Council’s Naval Point redevelopment plan.
The last consents required for the build were approved at the end of February.
Coastguard New Zealand, the city council and community donations funded the project, plus a $1.5 million from the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust.
