Courts Minister Amy Adams has announced Dunedin's historic courthouse will be saved.
Cabinet agreed this afternoon to spend $15 million on earthquake-strengthening and restoring the 113-year-old building.
It follows a major protest and postcard campaign by Dunedin residents and members of the legal fraternity.
Ms Adams says it was always her intention and desire to see court services returned to the historic building.
"The Dunedin courthouse is one of New Zealand's most notable historic buildings," says Ms Adams. "Cabinet's decision reflects its significance, both as a part of the city's rich cultural heritage and its importance to the region's legal fraternity."
The project will see the building earthquake strengthened and restored to 60 to 70 percent of the National Building Standard, as well as fitting out the location to operate as modern court facilities.
The Ministry of Justice will call for tenders early next year, with a main contractor to be appointed later in 2016. But with the project expected to take two years to complete, it's unlikely court services will return to the Stuart St location before 2019.
The Government has already spent $6.8 million refurbishing the temporary courts on High St, as well as around $600,000 a year in rent since 2011.
Some engineering experts have criticised the cost estimates to strengthen the category one heritage building as "highly inflated".
But Ms Adams insists the costs have been "comprehensively investigated and peer reviewed by a number of independent specialist engineers, and costed by quantity surveyors, before being subjected to a robust review by the Treasury".
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