Hurunui District Mayor Marie Black welcomes the start of construction on the restoration and earthquake strengthening of Soldiers’ Block at the Queen Mary Hospital Historic Reserve in Hanmer Springs.

The building was blessed on Wednesday by Rāwiri Manawatu from Ngāti Kurī as the building moves into the construction phase.

“This is a great milestone for our community as we move into the construction phase of this long-awaited project, which has really been a vision for our community for so long,” Mayor Black said. “Soldiers’ Block is synonymous with healing, right from the start of the building’s history as a place for soldiers to heal mentally and psychologically from the horrors of World War 1, and including when it gave hope to so many as a drug and alcohol treatment centre during the 1970s.”

The restoration and earthquake strengthening work is being led by local Hanmer Springs builder O’Brien Construction, employing Hanmer Springs locals such as Zoe Cuff, who is part of the construction team undertaking the nine-month restoration project.

Chief Strategy and Community officer Judith Batchelor said Mike Gilles from Heritage New Zealand visited the site on Wednesday and would be working closely with O’Brien Construction throughout the restoration.

“The site is fenced off and access to that part of the Queen Mary Hospital Historic Reserve will be restricted while these works are undertaken.”

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