Owners Ngai Tahu Property are setting up a big cordon, hoping to keep the crowds away, but all the action will be livestreamed on Sunday.The demolition action will be recorded by four authorised drones – all others are banned from the no-fly zone.Sightseers are also being discouraged, with Ceres New Zealand manager Bernie De Vere adamant people will get a better view from home.
When the 14-storey Newstalk ZB building was blown up in 2012, a six-year-old boy nominated by the Child Cancer Foundation was the one lucky enough to push the detonation button.While there would be plenty of criminals keen to push the button on the police station, a professional blaster will set off the 100kg of explosives.
Mr De Vere says there have been many offers on how to destroy the building. “We’ve had amazing suggestions on how we could implode the building and all sorts of inducements offered, but we’re taking this one seriously and we just want to get that building on the ground.”
Artist Trent Hiles spent a year filming and taking photos as the building was stripped – including the cells and graffiti showing the frustration of those locked inside.He’s also recording the sounds of the demolition, and describes sounds captured as “sort of ghostly” and ones that “has the hairs on the back of your neck sticking up.”
Demolition will continue on the building right over the week. It’s scheduled to be blown up at 5pm on Sunday.