Implosion of Radio Network House

In July 2012, it was announced that the building was going to be imploded, involving a specialist company from the United States with considerable experience in this type of work.

[2] The winning bid of NZ$26,000 was made by a consortium of demolition contractors, who allowed the Child Cancer Foundation to nominate a six-year-old boy from Queenstown to trigger the event.

[14] On 17 July 2012, the local Canterbury newspaper The Press reported that implosion of Radio Network House had been approved by CERA.

[5] The same day, a press conference was held, where representatives of the demolition companies involved and of CERA addressed the media.

Ceres in turn partnered with Controlled Demolition, Inc., an American company based in Phoenix, Maryland, that has a track record of 9,000 implosions and is considered a world leader in the field.

[6] The owner of the Westende building, on the corner of Manchester and Worcester Street and some 80 metres (260 ft) away from Radio Network House, threatened to seek a court injunction against the implosion.

He raised concerns about potential seismic activity, possible damage to his new building, and noxious contaminants transferred by dust.

They gave the right to choose a person to push the button to the Child Cancer Foundation, who nominated a six-year-old boy from Queenstown.

[27] The demolition companies, on the day prior to the implosion, advised the public to stay away for health and safety reasons, and watch the proceedings on TV or the internet.

[28] Several television stations had live streams of the event, and The Press announced that they would post a video on their website shortly after the implosion.

Seismograph readings showed ground velocity of 12 mm/s, which is comparable to a large truck slowly driving across the demolition site.

[32][33] The implosion attracted global attention, with media in Australia, Canada, Ireland, South Africa and the United States covering the event.