Yes, 1981 more than halfway gone and Hunter is still standing. For those who came in late, there's the story so far ... A combination of a shortage of space, and a change in earthquake regulations (not any deterioration in the building) led to a call for the replacement of the Hunter building with another concrete cube. Shocked, students and staff at Vic., and others formed Friends of Hunter to save this last link Victoria University has with its history - the only touchstone which identifies this bureaucratic subdivision as a University.

Friends of Hunter proposed to Council a retrofitting scheme to retain the best are hitectural features of Hunter while also providing modern and efficient facilities. ("Retrofitting" means retaining the outer shell and completely rebuilding the inside.)

There has been a long, uphill struggle to gain acceptance of the Friends of Hunter proposal. Last year, in association with the NZ Historic Places Trust, Friends of Hunter gained permission to have the structure of the Hunter building tested by the Ministry of Works and Development (in order to establish if, in fact, the retrofit proposal was feasable). MWD made some test bores into the brickwork, and also removed a section of the external wall for further testing in their laboratories.