Work on a new Southland council building has included clearing mould and fixing leaks, but the person in charge says it was expected.

In October 2024, Southland District Council purchased Henderson House on Invercargill’s Kelvin St with the goal of having its employees under one roof.

It has been a long exile for some staff who have been forced to relocate from the council’s main building on Forth St due to earthquake issues.

For more than five years, staff have worked from three separate sites because of those concerns, a recent report said.

Project director Jendi Paterson told Local Democracy Reporting the council had a target of late-2026 for moving into Henderson House — a three-storey office building which was built in the 1980s.

While there hadn't been any surprises since purchase, Paterson detailed some issues which had come up during due diligence and early investigations.

Southland District Council's Forth St premises has earthquake-related concerns. Photo: Matthew Rosenberg/LDR

Those included seismic strengthening, replacement cladding and windows, and internal refurbishment.

“Mould remediation work and testing have been completed, and previously identified leaks have been repaired,” she said.

“These findings were anticipated and are already built into the redevelopment scope and budget.”

Paterson said consolidating staff would improve collaboration and reduce reliance on leased sites.

The recent report for the project highlighted issues with the current arrangement such as fragmentation, inefficiencies, higher operational costs, and uncertainty about long-term accommodation suitability.

It said the council analysed its options through 2023 and early 2024, including looking at available buildings, pricing new builds and assessing lease extensions.

The council "approved the acquisition" of the Kelvin St building in October 2024 and delegated the chief executive authority to purchase.

On Friday, a tender ends for a main contractor for the job.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air