Christchurch's Sign of the Kiwi Cafe reopened nearly six years after it was damaged in Canterbury's earthquakes. (Video first published in January 2017).

Why after multi-million dollar repairs are so many Christchurch heritage buildings still closed to the public? LIZ MCDONALD reports.

Stonework repaired, tower strengthened, stained glass shining – the elaborate Sign of the Takahe on Christchurch's Port Hills is ready for action.

But while the $2.4 million restoration project was completed nearly 18 months ago, its pre-quake tenants have surrendered their lease and the building remains vacant.

The castle-like building is one of over a dozen heritage buildings owned by the city council and still not back in use since the earthquakes. Its emptiness illustrates how filling a heritage building, even when newly restored, is easier said than done.

At the start of this year the council sought tenders for the use of four central city heritage buildings and a batch of suburban sites. All are still in need of repair and strengthening, and classed as strategic assets, meaning they cannot be sold or demolished without extensive public consultation.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Open day at The Sign of the Takahe in late October.

Between them the Robert McDougall art gallery, the Old Municipal Chambers (Our City O-Tautahi building), the Thomas Edmonds band rotunda and next door pavilion drew at least 10 expressions of interest. The 13 suburban sites, including the Sign of the Takahe, drew 56 responses.

Details remain under wraps but the council's head of parks, Andrew Rutledge, says they hope to have progress to announce next year. They are "currently in the midst of two commercially-sensitive processes to investigate the viability of potential future uses" for the Old Municipal Chambers and the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, he says.

The council has allocated $35m for heritage repair and strengthening in its long-term plan for 2018 to 2028, while the old provincial chambers are being mothballed due to the size of the repair job.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel says uses for the buildings have to be financially viable, but the citizens who own them have a right to enjoy them.

The Thomas Edmonds Band Rotunda on the banks of the Avon River, pictured pre-quakes.

"You may have an owner of a building, but they don't own the history. They are the guardian of the heritage and the history for the time that they own the building.

"These special heritage buildings belong to the city and they should be open and available to the city," she says.

Any heritage building where ratepayers have contributed to repairs or strengthening can have a covenant on its lease or title requiring public access such as open days, says Dalziel.

"Finding somebody who is able to meet that level of expectation" can be difficult, she says.

DAVID WALKER/FAIRFAX NZ Inside Mona Vale homestead, which reopened in late 2016.

While the council is "not necessarily in that space" of offering incentives or subsidies to get the buildings occupied, she would "certainly be open to" making some of the restoration budget available.

There have been success stories already. The century-old Sign of the Kiwi on the Port Hills is now run by tenants as a busy cafe and bar after a $760,000 repair, the Old Stone House at Cracroft at the bottom of Cashmere hill (repair cost $2m) reopened as a community centre and wedding venue, and the Nurses Memorial Chapel by Christchurch Hospital and Rose Historic Chapel on Colombo St have both reopened in better shape than ever.

Across town in Fendalton, Mona Vale homestead has hospitality tenants, but their recent decision to use the building only for private functions has aroused public ire and the council is seeking legal advice.

Chris Kissling, chairman of the Christchurch Civic Trust which has in the past rescued buildings including Mona Vale and is now fundraising to repair McLeans Mansion, says a good business plan is essential to any restoration.

The Old Municipal Chambers on the corner of Worcester Bvd and Oxford Tce, pictured before the earthquakes when used as a community venue.

Finding a sympathetic and economic use for a heritage buildings could be "a difficult task", he said.

"People are not really lining up these days to do something with these buildings."

Most historic buildings need updating, but once restored could be very appealing to occupants, Kissling says.

"The exterior you keep, and the interior you can modernise and modify."

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF The Robert McDougall Art Gallery in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.

Rob Farrell, co-director of Box 112 which has restored the Midland Building and is now tackling others including the old Public Trust building, says the right private owners can do restorations for a fraction of the cost of councils.

Good commercial property owners are also skilled at tailoring buildings for businesses, he says.

"You have to spend the least amount of money possible to make it work."

He compliments the "magnificent work, a bloody god job" done on both the Sign of the Takahe and Sign of the Kiwi, but says work "done by committee" costs far too much.

"Then you have to try and make it pay its way."

Inside the damaged Robert McDougall gallery, which has been unused for 14 years since Christchurch's new gallery opened.

The Old Municipal Chambers could have been fixed economically now by the private sector, he says.

"It's not the council's fault. The private sector will take on risk because we have to. The public sector can't, and the only way they can mitigate all the risk is to throw caseloads of money at it. Then you get a budget blowout."

Farrell says the council has a tough job with so many buildings "in a very bad state".

"But if the private sector can make it work, perhaps they are in better in private hands. I think it would be hard to stomach, but it's got to be better. No-one really cares who owns the building".

GEORGE HEARD/STUFF Mayor Lianne Dalziel opens the repaired Old Stone House flanked by Caroline Murray and Bill Wilson, whose great great grandfather Sir John Cracroft Wilson built it in 1870.

Dalziel agrees that the private sector is more efficient when it comes to heritage restoration and re-use.

"There does seem to be a more integrated approach to heritage restoration with companies that have created a whole restoration ecosystem, with builders, engineers, designers, architects, that have that practical knowledge and experience and expertise," she says.

"Council has to go out to tender – it's a system of procurement that is designed to get value for money but it doesn't always get the best value."

Dalziel says that particularly with the Old Municipal Chambers, finding the best use can be difficult.

Christchurch City Council Kapuatohe Cottage in Belfast is in need of occupants.

Others such as the Robert McDougall must be used for a particular purpose.

Real estate company owner Min Sarginson worked at the Sign of the Takahe restaurant and event venue in the 1970s and was "hugely impressed" when she attended its open day last weekend.

She was surprised the place has not been "snapped up" by an operator. For years it was "a hugely popular" location, she says.

"There were bus tours up there most days, and most weekends there were weddings. A lot of people came up for devonshire teas and lunches."

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Open day at The Sign of the Takahe.

She believes it would still attract tourist and locals, tap into the area's popularity with walkers, runners and cyclists, and provide a good atmosphere for weddings.

"It's a destination. Certainly the building would give you a head start."

Historic Places Canterbury chairman Mark Gerrard believes the council is doing a good job with its damaged heritage, and is being "very thorough" with its tendering process.

He says the council benefits by having some "really good staff" who listen to the community and take pride in the buildings.

The Thomas Edmonds Pavilion sits to the east of the Thomas Edmonds Band Rotunda by the Avon River.

Some are of the sites are harder than others to find a use for, and some are better suited to community rather than commercial use, Gerrard says.

"They are very very special buildings. We are very happy that they are safe and they are going to be restored - the council is weighing up what is best for them and finding an appropriate use.

"Their value is not just the architecture, each one has its own individual stories, they are a reminder of people who have come before us," says Gerrard.

He believes Harry Ell, the naturalist whose vision established the Sign of the Takahe and Sign of the Kiwi as Port Hills rest stops, would approve of today's walkers and cyclists enjoying hospitality in the buildings.

"People need to be able to see them. They are our buildings, they are our gems, our treasures."

Heritage buildings in need of a new purpose: