Air NZ moving to new HQ at Viaduct

By ANNE GIBSON

Air New Zealand is having a $60 million designer corporate headquarters built for it in Auckland's Viaduct Basin.

Despite talk about shifting out to Auckland Airport, the airline has just signed a deal to vacate its 25-level Quay Tower headquarters on the corner of Albert St and Customs St West and shift to the new building by 2006.

After losing prime waterfront views when its own landlord built the PricewaterhouseCoopers Tower in front of the airline's headquarters, the carrier is now about to reclaim its harbour views with its Viaduct move.

Listed Hong Kong-controlled developer Trans Tasman Properties will start building in September, putting up the airline's twin-building, six-level 19,745sq m structure on the corner of Fanshawe St and Beaumont St. About 950 staff will be brought together on the one site.

Trans Tasman chairman Don Fletcher said the new building would be leased solely to the airline on a 12-year term.

Air New Zealand managing director and chief executive Ralph Norris said the decision to move to a new building suited a number of objectives. "It's such a high profile site that it will considerably assist our marketing and branding objectives."