On what date, if any, did Cabinet decide that the Rotorua courthouse project, which was presented as a potential Public-Private Partnership opportunity at the Government's March 2025 Investment Summit, would no longer be procured as a Public-Private Partnership?

Answer

On 7 May 2026, Cabinet approved the Budget initiatives for Vote Justice for inclusion in the 2026 Budget package. Rotorua Courthouses was one of the initiatives that funding was approved for the construction of two new courthouses, one for the Rotorua High Court and District Court, and one for the Rotorua Māori Land Court. I am advised that the Ministry of Justice is developing its Approval to Delivery business case and intends to progress to procurement imminently. A standard procurement approach, rather than PPP procurement, will be used. This is because progressing the Rotorua courthouses separately from the Waitākere courthouse reduces the scale of the project and therefore its viability as a PPP.