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Statistics New Zealand have signed a long-term lease with the John, left, and Michael Chow for four floors in newly-refurbished Westpac House.
Hundreds of staff working for state-owned department Statistics New Zealand will move into new office building owned by millionaire property moguls the Chow brothers.
Statistics New Zealand has leased four floors in Westpac House on Lambton Quay, after staff were barred from returning to its headquarters on Harbour Quays following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on November 14.
This comes just days after the department confirmed 80 staff had moved into HP Tower on Gilmer Terrace, near The Terrace in central Wellington.
A government inquiry has been launched into the performance of Statistics House, after part of two floors collapsed in the earthquake.
Michael Chow, who, with his brother John, has made an estimated $75 million fortune from brothels, hotels and commercial property deals, said an agent working on behalf of Statistics New Zealand approached him to take out a long-term lease on any available space.
Chow had been approached because the building was safe, he said.
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Staff at Statistics NZ have been advised by engineers that it could be several months before they can get back into the building.
“There is a shortage of office supply. People just want to move into a building that is structurally sound…
“We are very pleased to have them [Statistics New Zealand staff] there.”
While Chow could not give any details about the length of the lease, he confirmed it was long-term.
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Some open plan meeting spaces in Westpac House.
In a statement, government statistician Liz MacPherson said most staff would be in their new offices before Christmas, after the fit-outs were complete.
“Between Westpac House and the five floors we will be occupying in HP House on Gilmer Terrace, there will be enough space for both Statistics NZ and the Ministry of Transport, which had been occupying a floor in Statistics House.”
Westpac House is directly behind HP House.
“The two buildings are as close together as we could have hoped for, taking about 30 seconds to travel between them,” MacPherson said.
On Thursday, Chris Parkin, the former owner of the Museum Hotel who owns HP Tower, said Statistics New Zealand was negotiating a two-year lease on several floors of the building, with the option of a longer lease.
Parkin has previously unveiled plans to turn the building into luxury New York style apartments, partly because of Wellington’s weak rental market for office buildings. However, that development has been cancelled “for the moment”.
MacPherson could not give details about the rental agreements, as they were “commercially sensitive”, she said.
“Statistics NZ has leased the office spaces to ensure business continuity for an extended period. Nothing should be inferred from that about the future of Statistics House.
“There have been some media reports that Statistics House is to be demolished. These reports are false,” she said.
“With a government inquiry announced and engineering reports underway, the reality is that we have no idea what the future holds for Statistics House.
“We expect the inquiry to provide answers to the questions we have asked about structural damage to Statistics House, and await the results of the with interest.
Since November 14, staff had been working from home, or other temporary workspaces, MacPherson said.
A government inquiry has been launched into the performance of Statistics House, after part of two floors collapsed in the earthquake.
Previously the department has said that staff may not be back in Statistics House for a year, but more recent statements have offered no timeframe.
Both HP Tower and Westpac House were 100 per cent of the new building standards, MacPherson said.
The Westpac building is part of the Chow brother’s 18-strong property portfolio valued over $200m which includes The Mermaid strip club and Capital Market food court in Wellington.
– Stuff