Troubled rebuild planning agency Regenerate Christchurch will cease to exist from the end of this month.

The organisation, jointly governed and funded by Christchurch City Council and the Crown, was set up in 2016 to help lead the city’s post-earthquake regeneration.

But the agency’s effectiveness has come under intense criticism.

Originally, it was intended that Regenerate Christchurch would exist until 2021, at which point responsibility for leading the city’s regeneration would transfer to local agencies.

Radio New Zealand reported last year that it took Regenerate Christchurch two years and $5 million to come up with a future plan for the 600 hectare red-zoned river corridor.

A Christchurch City Council report described Regenerate Christchurch planting proposals for the Ōtākaro Avon River corridor as “unachievable, unviable in the medium-to-long term or worse, undesirable”. 

In March 2018, Regenerate Christchurch spent $900,000 more than budgeted in central city planning.

At the time, Chief executive Ivan Iafeta told the Christchurch Press $855,000 had been spent on planning the redevelopment of Cathedral Square and surrounding areas.

In April 2018, it was reported the agency spent 6.8 million on consultants in two years.

In September 2018, the agency spent $485,000 on a red zone exhibition.

At the time, then Councillor Raf Manji questioned the hefty price tag.

Newstalk ZB Christchurch requested multiple interviews with CEO Ivan Iafeta on the agency’s progress of projects, but all interviews were rejected during the past year.

Council and the Crown have agreed to bring forward Regenerate Christchurch’s disestablishment to 30 June 2020, by which time it is expected Parliament will have passed the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Amendment Bill.

Council’s Acting General Manager Corporate Services Leonie Rae says “both the Council and the Crown believe the time is right for Regenerate Christchurch to transfer its leadership role to the Council so it can assume long-term responsibility for regeneration.’’

Next week Ms Rae will present a report to elected members that recommends Regenerate Christchurch’s assets and liabilities are transferred to the Council and Crown at the end of this month. 

The transfer agreement requires the approval of both the Council and the Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration.

In the report, Ms Rae says the Council has been preparing to resume overall responsibility for regeneration leadership and is confident it has the right skills, structures and resources in place to build on the work the organisation has done.

While the Council will no longer be able to use section 71 of the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Act 2016 to make planning changes after 30 June 2020, along with other local and regional authorities, it will retain its power to be a proponent of Regeneration Plans until most provisions of the Act are revoked on 30 June 2021.

A small number of Regenerate Christchurch staff will stay on beyond the disestablishment of the organisation to help with the decommissioning.

They will be based at ChristchurchNZ.