The construction site of the Civic Precinct in Tauranga. Photo / Alex Cairns
The construction site of the Civic Precinct in Tauranga. Photo / Alex Cairns
Tauranga’s $300-plus million civic precinct plans will receive $21m in community funding as part of TECT’s largest-ever investment towards a project of regional significance.
The news comes as Tauranga City Council commissioners prepare to meet to decide how best to progress the project - Te Manawataki o Te Papa.
The $21m comes as an updated cost estimate for the future civic precinct also increases from the previously approved budget of $303.4m to $306.3m.
TECT chairman Bill Holland announced the $21m funding today, saying the trust received majority support for the move and that the project was “one of the most exciting and significant projects the people of Tauranga will see come to fruition in their lifetime”.
TECT is a nationally recognised community-focused trust based in the Western Bay of Plenty and has distributed funding and rebates locally since 1993.
The future civic precinct -Te Manawataki o Te Papa - will include a library and community hub, civic whare (public meeting house), museum and exhibition gallery.
Te Manawataki o Te Papa translates to the heartbeat of Te Papa. The project site is mostly centred on the block where the former council building stood, between Wharf St, Durham St, Harington St and Willow St.
The funding will be specifically allocated to support the development of the museum and exhibition gallery, which was expected to add significant cultural, educational and economic value to the city.
In a statement released today, Holland congratulated the council for the huge amount of work and vision involved in creating the community space.
TECT chairman Bill Holland. Photo / Alex Cairns
Holland said the trust was looking forward to working closely with the council and the Te Manawataki o Te Papa Limited Board to progress the development.
“As a community-focused trust, TECT aims to support initiatives that contribute to our region’s vibrancy, connectedness, growth and economic success. Te Manawataki o Te Papa certainly ticks all of the boxes,” Holland said.
“This is one of the most exciting and significant projects the people of Tauranga will see come to fruition in their lifetime.
“We’re excited to see the transformational impact this project will have on our city and are committed to working with council to ensure the best outcomes for our city.”
Holland told the Bay of Plenty Times the money would enable Tauranga to finally have some “nice-to-haves” that had previously been unaffordable, such as a museum.
“The focus of the last five years has been to keep the rates down, and that’s fine, but it means we don’t have community facilities that we need and should have.”
The benefits from investing in the project would be felt for many years to come, he said.
Earlier this year, TECT asked people living in the city council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council areas for their thoughts on their draft strategy and proposed funding plan, including providing funding towards the civic precinct.
The construction site of the Civic Precinct in Tauranga. Photo / Alex Cairns
The community feedback signalled strong support for funding strategic initiatives, including almost 70 per cent in support of TECT making a contribution to the civic precinct development. In response, TECT trustees approved in-principle funding of $21m to be made available to support Te Manawataki o Te Papa – subject to a funding agreement.
The prospect of the civic precinct, in varied versions over the years, has also been the subject of debate and contention with detractors citing concerns that money could be better spent elsewhere. However, in May 2022, city commissioners decided to forge ahead with the $303.4m plans to create the new civic space in downtown Tauranga.
Ratepayers were expected to pay about $70m and another $221m was expected to come from grants and asset recycling.In December, the commission approved moving to the detailed design and costing phase with the provision that the ratepayers’ contribution doesn’t exceed $151.5m.
On Monday, the updated designs and costs, business case and proposed financial strategy that would bring the project to life will be presented to the commissioners in a council meeting.
As part of this, a revised budget of $306.3m was proposed and took into account an additional $1.88m in Art Gallery costs. It was expected that value engineering to the tune of $1.9m would bring the budget to $306.3m.
The potential increased cost to ratepayers will also be presented.
In a statement, commission chairwoman Anne Tolley said TECT’s funding commitment to the city precinct - Te Manawataki o Te Papa was hugely important for the project and the people of Tauranga.
Tauranga City commission chairwoman Anne Tolley. Photo / George Novak
“We are extremely grateful to be receiving a grant of this magnitude from such an important community funding organisation in the Western Bay,” Tolley said.
In another statement, Tolley said: “This financial contribution is a huge step towards realising our funding goals. The resounding support TECT received about Te Manawataki o Te Papa reinforces the message we’ve also heard from people right across the region – that they want to see this project brought to life, so generations today and in the future can enjoy and benefit from what is set to become an incredible community space.”
There had been ongoing national and global challenges so the commissioners were “really pleased” to be assured by development partners the project will remain within the $306.3m budget, she said.
“The business case paints a picture of a thriving, beating and vibrant city heart that celebrates our heritage and culture and brings people together from near and far.
“One of the highlights that stands out for me is the prediction that in just over 10 years, there could be 5500 people visiting Te Manawataki o Te Papa per day.”
Tolley and the three other commissioners were expected to make key decisions about the future of the civic precinct at Monday’s council meeting.
Subject to those decisions, construction of the civic precinct could begin early next year, with the library and community hub the first building to be developed. The full programme of work is currently set to be completed by the end of 2028.
*An earlier version of the story did not include the $151.5m funding cap, approved in December.
Kiri Gillespie is an assistant news director and a senior journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, specialising in local politics and city issues. She was a finalist for the Voyager Media Awards Regional Journalist of the Year in 2021.
Artists' impressions of Tauranga City Council civic precinct development Te Manawataki o Te Papa.
