The Southland District Council's main office on Forth St in Invercargill is up for sale, with offers due by midday on 27 November.

Local Democracy Reporting said on Wednesday the listing describes the property as a Southland landmark and is being run as a deadline sale, with the council declining to consider early offers so that councillors can weigh every bid and its conditions together.

The council told the reporter the timing made sense because its new home, Henderson House, is close to ready. Roughly 180 council staff are presently scattered across three Invercargill sites, and the plan is to bring them together at Henderson House during 2027.

Forth St is the busiest of the council's seven offices, with about 80 people working there.

The building is a patchwork of eras. According to the council, the original section dates from around 1940, a tower block was added in the late 1970s, a connecting section followed in the mid-1980s and the current reception area was built in about 1994. The main site covers roughly 1529 square metres, and a separate vacant section of about 761 square metres, now used as staff parking, is included in the sale.

The listing says the eastern office block could be redeveloped, depending on what a buyer wants to do with it and what earthquake strengthening would be needed. No asking price or valuation has been published.

Marketing photographs show indoor plants, a table tennis table and a staff lounge with red couches and portraits of the district's three previous mayors. They also show a disco ball hanging in one room. The council did not respond to questions about where it came from or whether it stays with the building.

The move to Henderson House has not been straightforward. The council bought the building in 2024 and has since had to deal with mould and leaks before it could be fitted out for staff.

The sale comes at a time when Southland's councils are under pressure to show ratepayers they are trimming costs, and as the region's four councils explore sharing more services.

For the council, consolidating staff on one site is pitched as a way to cut duplication and running costs, while selling Forth St returns a central city building to the market at a time when Invercargill's CBD has seen a wave of redevelopment around the Invercargill Central precinct.

Anyone interested in the property has until 12pm on Friday 27 November to lodge an offer through the agent.