$20m of earthquake strengthening for Wellington High Court to begin

Work on earthquake strengthening Wellington's High Court building is about to begin.

The building is among a host of courts nationwide that need expensive work done to make them safe or suitable to use.

The Ministry of Justice's tender for the building at 2 Molesworth Street in the capital says the job is worth more than $20 million.

"The main contractor will need to have demonstrable experience in undertaking seismic strengthening works and experience working within a live operational environment," the tender document said.

It will remain operating with the work being done after hours.

The closing date for contractors interested in the job is this week.