Rangitīkei Emergency Operations Centre (EOC)
Status: Awaiting building consent
Budget: $3.2 million
Timeline: Construction is expected to begin in August 2026, subject to consent approval.
Summary
Rangitīkei District Council is planning a dedicated Emergency Operations Centre on the same High Street site as Council’s Marton office.
An Emergency Operations Centre, often called an EOC, is the place where Council, emergency services, iwi, partner agencies and support organisations coordinate the local response during an emergency. This could include events such as flooding, severe weather, earthquakes, or other situations that affect public safety and community wellbeing.
The Rangitīkei Emergency Operations Centre will strengthen the district’s civil-defence and emergency-response capability. It will provide a purpose-built space for emergency coordination, civil-defence storage, meetings and response planning.
The EOC was previously considered as part of the wider Marton Civic Centre and later Marton Offices and Community Hub project. However recognising its unique importance to the district’s ability to respond in an emergency, it is now being progressed and reported as a separate project.
Separating the EOC project helps make its purpose clearer. The High Street offices and Marton Library project is focused on Council services, community space and public access. The EOC project is focused on resilience, emergency coordination and making sure the district is best prepared to respond.
Project lifecycle
This image shows the standard lifecycle of our key capital projects. For the Rangitīkei Emergency Operations Centre project, we are currently in the ‘developed design’ phase.
What we've achieved
Rangitīkei District Council has confirmed it will move ahead with plans to build a dedicated Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Marton, ensuring the district has a purpose-built facility to coordinate emergency response well into the future.
While Council paused the wider Marton community hub and office redevelopment in May to allow time to assess the impact of the Government’s proposed local government reforms, it has agreed the Rangitīkei Emergency Operations Centre remains a critical priority for the district.
At its meeting on Thursday 25 June, Council received initial draft concept imagery and construction costs for the project – approving an increase to the project budget from $2 million to $3.2million.
Rangitīkei Mayor Andy Watson said the decision reflected Council’s responsibility to ensure Rangitīkei is prepared for emergencies.
“Our district covers a large and challenging landscape, with our communities spread across a wide area – including a significant section of State Highway One. When emergencies happen, having the right facilities in place to coordinate the response will make a real difference to our capability.“
The need for a modern Emergency Operations Centre remains a critical investment in the safety and resilience of Rangitīkei.”
The revised project budget reflects current construction costs and detailed design work completed since the project was first costed. Factors contributing to the increase include industry-wide construction cost increases, the need for more site works to ensure compliance, and specialist infrastructure required to support the building in an emergency setting – including space for backup power generators and additional fuel storage.
The total project budget is now $3.2million, with the additional $1.2million being funded from budget already set aside for the wider Marton High Street redevelopment project.
Designed as an Importance Level Four (IL4) building, the Rangitīkei Emergency Operations Centre will provide Council with a resilient facility capable of operating during and after emergency events. While its primary purpose is to support civil defence and emergency management, the building will also include several meeting rooms that can be utilised by Council staff and booked by community groups outside emergency situations.
Mayor Watson says creating a building with multiple uses would ensure it remained a valuable community asset every day, not just during emergencies.
“This building will be working for Rangitīkei year-round. Outside of emergency events it will provide flexible meeting spaces that can be used by both Council and the public, making it a practical investment that delivers ongoing value.”
The Rangitīkei Emergency Operations Centre was previously reported within the wider Marton Community Hub and High Street Offices project. It is now being separated out in Council reporting to reflect its specific purpose as a dedicated emergency-management facility.
The two projects are still closely connected and will be located on the same 46 High Street site. However, they have different purposes. The hub and offices project is about everyday Council and community services. The EOC is about making sure Rangitīkei is better prepared to respond when emergencies happen.
For full project timeline, see Marton Community Hub and High Street Offices.