After occupying the tower of No.1 The Terrace for almost 40 years, the Treasury has relocated to refurbished premises in levels 1 to 4 of the podium of the same building at No.1 The Terrace.
With the 2018 expiry of its lease on the tower section of No.1 The Terrace, the Treasury has taken the opportunity to develop a future-focused workplace for its staff while delivering cost savings as part of the public sector’s Wellington Accommodation Project.
- Why we’ve moved
- Key facts
- Forecasted project costs
- Key decision documents proactively released
- Frequently asked questions
Why we’ve moved#
As part of its organisational strategy, the Treasury has embarked on a culture and capability shift to help deliver on its strategic priorities and realise its intergenerational wellbeing aspirations. The Treasury’s aim is that all its staff have the ability to be world-leading in a constantly-changing world.
To enable this, the Tāne Whakapiri[1] project was established with the aim of creating a future-focused workplace that provides staff with the flexibility to work in a way that fits their role, personal style, lifestyle and current task.
Tāne Whakapiri comprised three work streams, each of which was essential, individually and in combination, in order to deliver a successful outcome:
- People and Culture: focused on the cultural and behavioural shift required to prepare, support and enable the Treasury and its people to adapt to changing priorities, environments and focus; and have the ability to work anywhere, anytime to deliver its outcomes and maximise the opportunities created by the new work environment.
- Property: focused on delivering the physical office environment, identifying the Treasury's current and strategic business needs, and delivering a space that to meet those needs. As part of the wider Wellington Accommodation Project tranche 2 (WAP2), led by the Government Property Group (part of MBIE), on 11 March 2019 the Treasury completed its move to levels 1-4 of No. 1 The Terrace. Benefits of the move include more effective use of space and strengthening its premises to 100% NBS.
- Information and Technology: focused on delivery of the information and technology solutions essential to meeting the Treasury's current and strategic business needs. Included end-user computing, meeting room technology, network & infrastructure, and multi-floor streaming.
Whilst the accommodation move aspect of the Tāne Whakapiri project had a defined timeline, the work of these three work streams will continue to play a part in embedding new ways of working, helping the Treasury to progress towards its vision: “to be a world-leading Treasury working towards higher living standards for New Zealanders”.
Key facts#
- The Treasury has occupied levels 5 to 14 in the tower of No.1 The Terrace for almost 40 years. On 11 March 2019 it completed its move down to the refurbished levels 1 to 4 in the lower podium of the building at the same address.
- The Treasury has reduced the amount of office space per person to around eleven and a half square metres.
- The Treasury’s new premises will be 100% NBS.
- The Treasury is forecasting to save $1.5 million over 12 years.
- Part of level 1 has been sub-let to MPI/Te Uru Rakau.
- The move has been completed ahead of schedule and within government guidelines and is projected to come in under budget.
- Where practicable Treasury has re-used existing furniture.
- This is part of a wider government property project to create work environments that better suit modern ways of working and deliver savings through office space economies of scale.
- The new premises better enable the Treasury’s focus on staff wellbeing and flexible working options in all roles.
Forecast project costs at February 2019#
The final projected capital spend is $11.211 million, which includes construction contingency and occupancy phase improvements. Note that in 2016 capital cost estimates were $8.888 million. These were revised upwards in early 2018 to $12.30 million, reflecting the impact of the Kaikoura earthquake on the Wellington construction market and greater certainty obtained through the detailed design process. The WAP2 project provided capital funding of $9.76 million, with the balance covered by Treasury’s capital reserves.
The final projected operational spend is $0.631 million. However, people and culture aspects of the project cannot be separately estimated due to the broad involvement of people and teams across Treasury including communications and people and wellbeing staff working on wider transformational goals.
The major projected cost areas are as follows:
| Item | Projected spend |
|---|---|
| Overall projected capital costs | $11.211 |
| Construction costs | $7.586m |
| Soft fit-out | $0.677m |
| IT infrastructure (networking, decommissioning, migration etc.) | $0.640m |
| External consultants (Architect, Engineers, Quantity Surveyor, Project Manager) | $1.362m |
| Internal project costs | $0.446m |
| Occupancy Phase Improvements | $0.500m |
| Overall projected operational costs | $0.631m |
| Relocation costs | $0.466m |
| Costs relating to exiting current premises | $0.060m |
| Temporary decant space to enable reuse of furniture and technology equipment | $0.105m |
Key decision documents proactively released#
| Doc. Date Sort ascending | Creator | Title |
|---|---|---|
| The Treasury | ||
| The Treasury | ||
| Workspace Architects Limited | ||
| The Treasury | ||
| The Treasury | ||
| The Treasury |
| Doc. Date Sort ascending | Creator | Title |
|---|---|---|
| The Treasury | ||
| The Treasury |
| Doc. Date Sort ascending | Creator | Title |
|---|---|---|
| The Treasury | ||
| The Treasury |
| Doc. Date Sort ascending | Creator | Title |
|---|---|---|
| The Treasury |
Frequently asked questions#
What's the meaning of the name, Tāne Whakapiri?#
In November 2017, the Treasury chose the reo Māori name Tāne Whakapiri for its relocation project. ‘Whakapiri’ is a call to action in kapa haka: ‘become closer’. Together, the words 'Tāne' and 'Whakapiri' suggest that the project will enable staff to come closer to the Treasury’s wharenui, Ngā Mokopuna a Tāne – which is at the heart of the Treasury. One of the key aims of the project is to enable a better connected Treasury and, as in kapa haka, better amplify the collective voices of its staff.
What is happening to the Treasury’s old office space?#
That space has been handed back to the landlord, Precinct Properties Limited.
How safe is the new building?#
The new premises are 100% of the New Building Standard (NBS) for seismic resilience and will provide a safe and secure building for the Treasury’s staff.
Why the timing of the move?#
The lease for the tower of No.1 The Terrace expired in 2018. This move has been carefully planned and the Treasury has worked in partnership with MBIE’s Government Property Group over the last five years to prepare for it.
Are your people hot-desking?#
The Treasury has made a commitment to flexible working being available to everyone. Its staff now have modern office spaces which support the work they do, and improved tools including modern technology. Within its workplace, its staff have a ‘neighbourhood’ in which they’re based, while also benefitting from being able to choose to work elsewhere in or out of the premises if that best suits their needs and the task at hand.
How is this an organisational change?#
The Treasury is focused on improving connection and collaboration between staff, and utilising advancements in technology, working practices and workplace designs, as it works towards its vision: “to be a world-leading Treasury working towards higher living standards for New Zealanders”.
You changed your logo on the same day as opening the new premises. What was the cost associated with the new logo?#
We have updated our logo to include the new reo Māori name chosen by the Treasury to better represent externally all that we are and do. The logo design was done in-house and is being rolled out digitally and as printed items are depleted, to ensure no additional cost is incurred. By timing this change with our move we have avoided the additional costs of replacing signage.
Have you provided any non-essential amenities like hair straighteners?#
We have provided bike racks in the basement and there are appropriate shower, changing and locker facilities available on every floor. We see these things as necessary in a modern workplace. Power outlets have been provided for staff personal items such as hairdryers.
Who is supplying furniture?#
Most of our existing serviceable furniture and appliances have been relocated to the new floors, including workstations, chairs, computer screens, fridges, etc. New furniture required for additional collaboration and meeting spaces has been purchased from All of Government suppliers who have been sourced from the MBIE panel of providers.