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Central Institute of Technology (CIT); site, buildings, and equipment.
History
HistoryPlanning began in 1956 when former Director of Education, Dr. C. E. Beeby, and the recently-retired Director of Technical Education. Dr. B, C. Lee proposed 12 regional technical institutes offering part-time courses, and a central institute offering full-time training, near the geographical centre of the country.
The Central Technical College was set up in 1960,initially based in Petone Technical College; the name changed to Central Institte of Technology three years later.
Building on the Heretaunga site began in 1970, and the Governor-General, Sir Arthur Porritt, laid the foundation stone around the beginning of 1971.
The first stage, housing the pharmacy, science and engineering departments, plus three large lecture theatres and a block of classrooms, was opened by the Prime Minister,the right honourable Norman Kirk, on April 27, 1973.
The second stage was planned as a seven-storey tower block and associated buildings, providing accommodation for 500 students, and training facilities for hotel administration.
The third stage would add the library, with TV studio and computer-training facilities, additional areas for training in heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, and aeronautics, and a management school.
A fourth stage would add health-sciences facilities.
Courses were transferred from Petone as Heretaunga facilities materialised.
Block G, administration, was completed in 1973.
The library, later named after the principal, J A Bateman, was announced in the September 13, 1977 'Leader.
Victoria University students were to start on March 1, 1994, and the first sod for a new 200-seat lecture theatre had been turned on October 1, 1993.
The Upper Hutt location did not attract the expected number of students, and it was decided to close the whole commplex
Activities closed at the end of June, 2001; many of its functions were taken over by what became WelTec; Wellington Institute of Technology, which also took over Petone Technical College.
The December 19, 2001 'Leader' reported that an Australian company, Campus Group Holdings, had been chosen from 14 organisations which had registered interest earlier, and was set to manage and operate the site. Their lease for the anchor tenancy was signed in September 2002, and the site was renamed the New Zealand International Campus.
Two hectares of the site along Messines Road was advertised for sale in 2004, then withdrawn, for possible future use in land-bank deals.
From 2009 to 2014 the site was held as potential redress for Ngati Toa Treaty of Waitangi claims; they eventually decided not to use any of a $70.6m settlement.
The buildings seemed to be little used in 2014, but the YMCA and YWCA were using the gymnasiums.
In the March 21 'Dominion Post' and March 25 'Leader' identical articles and pictures announced that the government was putting the site up for sale by tender.The Ministry of Education declared the site surplus to requirements in March 2008.
In 2009 Defence looked into spending $110 million on redeveloping the site as a defence-training establishment; but the only outcome was limited use for boot-camp courses for Limited Service Volunteers youths. From 2009 to 2014 the site was held for possible Ngati Toa Waitangi Treaty settlements, but the iwi declined the offer.
The buildings seemed to be little used in 2014, but the YMCA and YWCA were using the gymnasiums.
The March 25, 2015 ‘Leader’ reported that JLL had been awarded the agency to sell the property. A second article appeared on April 22.
On May 20 it was revealed that San Francisco's Randy Crockett's Trion Technology's New Zealand-registered company Intrepid had signed a six-year contract with a Dannevirke business park to set up a 'mini-fab' where silicon wafers would be doped, and had leased CIT's block C for pre-assembly of plant and equipment. His Crockett Charitable Foundation Trust was one of the tenderers for the site, and proposed to establish a teaching, training and R&D high-tech institute. On June 16 the 'Dominion Post' announced the sale, and the June 17 'Leader' said an investors' group headed by Malcolm Gillies was successful, and that possession was scheduled for November.
The June 22, 2016 'Leader' announced that more than 27 houses in a Heretaunga Mews development alongside a reduced campus had been sold off the plan, without being listed on the open market; planning permission had been given but legal formation and land titles were still to come.
The Central Technical College was set up in 1960,initially based in Petone Technical College; the name changed to Central Institte of Technology three years later.
Building on the Heretaunga site began in 1970, and the Governor-General, Sir Arthur Porritt, laid the foundation stone around the beginning of 1971.
The first stage, housing the pharmacy, science and engineering departments, plus three large lecture theatres and a block of classrooms, was opened by the Prime Minister,the right honourable Norman Kirk, on April 27, 1973.
The second stage was planned as a seven-storey tower block and associated buildings, providing accommodation for 500 students, and training facilities for hotel administration.
The third stage would add the library, with TV studio and computer-training facilities, additional areas for training in heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, and aeronautics, and a management school.
A fourth stage would add health-sciences facilities.
Courses were transferred from Petone as Heretaunga facilities materialised.
Block G, administration, was completed in 1973.
The library, later named after the principal, J A Bateman, was announced in the September 13, 1977 'Leader.
Victoria University students were to start on March 1, 1994, and the first sod for a new 200-seat lecture theatre had been turned on October 1, 1993.
The Upper Hutt location did not attract the expected number of students, and it was decided to close the whole commplex
Activities closed at the end of June, 2001; many of its functions were taken over by what became WelTec; Wellington Institute of Technology, which also took over Petone Technical College.
The December 19, 2001 'Leader' reported that an Australian company, Campus Group Holdings, had been chosen from 14 organisations which had registered interest earlier, and was set to manage and operate the site. Their lease for the anchor tenancy was signed in September 2002, and the site was renamed the New Zealand International Campus.
Two hectares of the site along Messines Road was advertised for sale in 2004, then withdrawn, for possible future use in land-bank deals.
From 2009 to 2014 the site was held as potential redress for Ngati Toa Treaty of Waitangi claims; they eventually decided not to use any of a $70.6m settlement.
The buildings seemed to be little used in 2014, but the YMCA and YWCA were using the gymnasiums.
In the March 21 'Dominion Post' and March 25 'Leader' identical articles and pictures announced that the government was putting the site up for sale by tender.The Ministry of Education declared the site surplus to requirements in March 2008.
In 2009 Defence looked into spending $110 million on redeveloping the site as a defence-training establishment; but the only outcome was limited use for boot-camp courses for Limited Service Volunteers youths. From 2009 to 2014 the site was held for possible Ngati Toa Waitangi Treaty settlements, but the iwi declined the offer.
The buildings seemed to be little used in 2014, but the YMCA and YWCA were using the gymnasiums.
The March 25, 2015 ‘Leader’ reported that JLL had been awarded the agency to sell the property. A second article appeared on April 22.
On May 20 it was revealed that San Francisco's Randy Crockett's Trion Technology's New Zealand-registered company Intrepid had signed a six-year contract with a Dannevirke business park to set up a 'mini-fab' where silicon wafers would be doped, and had leased CIT's block C for pre-assembly of plant and equipment. His Crockett Charitable Foundation Trust was one of the tenderers for the site, and proposed to establish a teaching, training and R&D high-tech institute. On June 16 the 'Dominion Post' announced the sale, and the June 17 'Leader' said an investors' group headed by Malcolm Gillies was successful, and that possession was scheduled for November.
The June 22, 2016 'Leader' announced that more than 27 houses in a Heretaunga Mews development alongside a reduced campus had been sold off the plan, without being listed on the open market; planning permission had been given but legal formation and land titles were still to come.
Photos
Location
Coordinates[1] Centre of the main group of buildings.
Details
Established27 April 1973
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Central Institute of Technology (CIT); site, buildings, and equipment.. Upper Hutt City Library, accessed 24/03/2026, https://uhcl.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/21874