Implosion of Christchurch Police Station - Live-stream Link

Ceres NZ, responsible for the implosion of the old Christchurch Police Station, is encouraging the public to stay away from the area around the building implosion this weekend and to instead watch the implosion via live-stream link at home. The implosion has been delayed and will now take place on Sunday 31 May at 5pm.

Spokesperson Bernie de Vere says the team is making every effort to avoid the implosion turning into a public event.

“The health and safety of neighbours, stakeholders, members of the public, employees and contractors comes first. This is a serious demolition project which requires tight control measures to ensure the safety of all involved.”

New Zealand’s first building implosion was Radio Network House in August 2012.

Bernie de Vere says circumstances are very different this time.

“That building was located in the CBD red zone which excluded public access and allowed for free movement of our contractors. A number of buildings were already demolished and cleared from the area, which enabled a clear view of the implosion from a fair distance. The public was also able to use Latimer Square as a place to gather outside the exclusion zone.

“In contrast, this building has a large number of existing buildings around it, the river, landmarks and large established trees in the vicinity will restrict viewing of the implosion. Safety fences around the site will also mean viewing is extremely limited,” Bernie de Vere says.

“The Ceres NZ team is following industry best-practice which is to discourage public attendance. For these reasons accredited media will be reporting on the implosion so interested members of the public can view full coverage from home – instead of turning up on the day.”

Broadcast Media NZ has been engaged to live-stream the implosion, including footage taken from two drone cameras. All media outlets and the public will have free access to the live-streamed footage. 

In addition to media networks showing the footage, the live-streaming can be viewed at the following YouTube channel:  https://youtu.be/y04ms42MGNw

 “Finally I’d like to convey a huge thank you to our neighbours in the area who are showing great patience and understanding. We are making every effort to minimise disruption in the neighbourhood as much as possible.”