An addition to the Te Manawataki o Te Papa precinct is expected to further enhance Tauranga’s city centre. The Civic Whare, Exhibition and Museum project received a green light by Tauranga City Council.
With some work already underway, support was solid among councillors with a 7-2 vote in favour of continuing with the project, Mayor Mahé Drysdale confirms.
“Given that the enabling works for this project – including site preparation, foundations and materials purchased for the building – are already nearing completion, there was a strong rationale for continuing with construction,” he explains.
“The ‘sunk costs’ of that enabling work total around $20 million and if we discontinued the project now, the potential legal costs, loss of committed external contributions to the overall development and potential impacts on wider city centre and stakeholder confidence would have been significant.”
The benefits of proceeding far outweighed the alternative, Drysdale added, as this would: “incur significant costs and not represent good value for money which we’re determined to deliver for ratepayers.”
Bounded by Willow, Wharf, Hamilton and Durham Streets, the centre will deliver cultural, social and economic advances for the city centre and wider community, councillors expect. The aim is to create a vibrant, safe, accessible and thriving city centre drawing locals and visitors to the area.
The Civic Precinct projects also include a library and community hub as well as associated landscaping and streetscape improvements and a recently completed upgrade of Masonic Park, a key link to the transformed waterfront reserve.
The land underlying the Civic Precinct is owned by Te Manawataki o Te Manawa Trust, a council-controlled organisation (CCO) jointly governed by Otamataha Trust (on behalf of its original owners) and council. Delivery of the various projects is being overseen by Te Manawataki o Te Papa Limited.
Rate payers will contribute a maximum of $151.5 towards the overall budget (of $306 million) for Te Manawataki o Te Papa, council confirmed. The balance will be generated by external grants, philanthropic contributions and the net value of council asset realisations, after any associated debt has been repaid.
A number of speakers at a recent public forum also endorsed the project.
“The [The Civic Whare, Exhibition and Museum] project is central to the entire wider Te Manawataki o Te Papa project and is the major expression of our joint cultural heritage,” veteran former Tauranga City councillor, Mary Dillon, adds.
“This development is our first highly visible, integrated presentation of our cultural origins as people of Tauranga Moana.”
