Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Editorial: Museum survey wasn't needed

Bay of Plenty Times
3 Jun, 2015 09:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Tauranga Moana Museum Trust member Kelly Barclay at the preferred Cliff Rd site for a museum. Photo / Ruth Keber

Tauranga Moana Museum Trust member Kelly Barclay at the preferred Cliff Rd site for a museum. Photo / Ruth Keber

Tauranga City Council made the right decision by rejecting a proposal to spend $40,000 to gauge how Tauranga residents feel about the development of a museum.

The survey was council staff's response to the Tauranga Moana Museum Trust seeking a $100,000 grant as part of a last-ditch effort to keep the project alive.

The survey was to have been the vehicle by which the council could gauge community support for the museum, including whether ratepayers were prepared to shoulder a big chunk of museum operating costs.

Read more: Survey idea for museum fails

A survey on the subject was not needed because councillors are elected to make these decisions on our behalf based on the information put before them. Sometimes these decisions might not be popular with everyone but elected representatives are there to make tough calls in the best interests of the city.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

While the council made the right call on the survey, I do not agree with the contention that there is no appetite for such a project amongst ratepayers.

Councillor Gail McIntosh says people are in favour of a museum so long as they don't have to pay for it.

While some ratepayers may balk at the thought of funding such a project, others probably believe it is an embarrassment that the city does not have somewhere to display its heritage.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The council is in a difficult position to balance other demands on rates like the pressing demand to fix stormwater flooding. Reducing the city's debt is seen as a priority for many ratepayers. Proposals that would make the city a more vibrant place to live are often met with heavy resistance because of the associated costs.

The council needs to balance this against the fact that Tauranga is now one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in New Zealand and there is a pressing need to preserve our history for future generations.

What value do we place on our heritage?

Discover more

Editorial: Future looks painfully unhealthy for Kiwis

30 May 08:32 PM

Editorial: Tears for a champ

31 May 09:00 PM

Editorial: Buyers need to be more realistic

01 Jun 09:00 PM

Editorial: Selfless heroes in good supply

02 Jun 09:00 PM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

11 Jul 05:30 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Hardly surviving': Sales fall after dairy raid

11 Jul 03:29 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

11 Jul 05:30 AM

Emergency services are responding to a two-vehicle crash which has closed SH29.

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
'Hardly surviving': Sales fall after dairy raid

'Hardly surviving': Sales fall after dairy raid

11 Jul 03:29 AM
Substation fault cuts power to thousands in Tauranga

Substation fault cuts power to thousands in Tauranga

11 Jul 03:01 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP