The stability of the land around the former Whangarei Harbour Board and old NRC buildings will be tested and the condition of the buildings will be assessed in the next few weeks.

"The two buildings appear to be one, but they were built separately, the first in 1924 and in the second in 1967. Council acquired them in 2005 and they have been due for significant work for some time," said Council's Group Manager District Living Paul Dell.

"Following the Christchurch earthquake there have been sweeping changes to building legislation and neither of these buildings currently meet the required standards for public structures, even though Northland is relatively tectonically stable. They must be brought up to code before they can be used.

"During our recent long-term plan we set aside $2 million to bring them up to the standard required, and we need to have them properly assessed before we know exactly what needs to be done. If people see what appear to be small drilling rigs around the building next week, they are being used to gather geotechnical information.

"Doing this work is part of the 'due diligence' we have to complete before carrying on with any plans to develop, restore or convert these buildings," Mr Dell said.

The surveys of the building and surrounding land will identify what interior fittings can be restored and reused, and the nature, stability and strength of the land.