Repair and strengthening work on the Kaputatohe dwelling (former Belfast school master’s house) and the workman's cottage is complete.

Kapuatohe DwellingBoth buildings sit on the historic Kapuatohe Reserve in Main North Road in Belfast and were damaged in the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes. The Council has managed both buildings since 2007.

Kapuatohe Dwelling was built in 1877, the year before Belfast School opened behind it. The dwelling is historically significant because of its association with the development of public schooling in New Zealand following the 1877 Education Act. The Act established free and compulsory schooling for all New Zealand children.

The nearby cottage is significant because of its part in the early development of Belfast. As part of its land redistribution programme, called the Kapuatohe Hamlet, the Liberal Government bought land at the corner of Main North and Englefield Road to subdivide in 1901. The cottage is likely to have been built around 1912.

Both buildings will be used as residential dwellings now that repair and strengthening work is complete.