The Cliff Rd site being considered for a new museum. File photo
A residents' survey, cost-benefit analysis, visitor estimates and projected running costs favour an integrated downtown museum and library - but museum advocates do not think the numbers tell the whole story.
Yesterday, in their third and final open workshop on a potential new museum and/or library for New Zealand's fifth largest city, the City Transformation Committee was bombarded with yet more numbers to aid their decision, due Tuesday.
There were estimates by a senior Berl economist of how many people - locals and visitors - would visit the facilities. The integrated museum/library had a bigger pull than two standalone facilities.
Berl found it also had a higher cost-benefit ratio than other options - more bang for ratepayer's bucks, essentially.
Key Research presented the results of its survey of 403 Tauranga residents representative of the area's population make up by gender, ward and ethnicity.
When shown how much each option would cost them in rates more people (69 per cent) preferred the integrated option over standalone facilities.
Capital cost estimate presented on Wednesday showed that for two facilities, integration was the cheaper to develop at $82.4m against $106.2m.
Speaking on behalf of tangata whenua, Buddy Mikaere and Puhirake Ihaka expressed support for a standalone museum on Cliff Rd.
He expressed doubt about the residents survey finding that half of Maori interviews preferred Willow St over Cliff Rd, saying tangata whenua leaders were "100 per cent" behind Cliff Rd.
The elevated site offered far more historical and cultural significance than Willow St, as well as fantastic views, Ihaka said.
"If the cost needed to be reduced I'm sure that could be done without getting too far away from what we've been talking about."
Mikaere quoted Tauranga kaumatua Kingi Ngatai: "the fact is that Cliff Rd has still got mauri and mana which are two important Maori spiritual concepts. That does not exist on the Willow St site."
Tangata whenua were not the only ones with concerns about the integration option - as presented.
Cate Hlavac of the Tauranga Moana Museum Trust said what had been described so far for the museum and library on Willow St "does not fill me with confidence".
She was not against an integrated facility and said the trust was neutral on location, but felt the current architectural concept for the integrated facility would not achieve what the trust hoped for Tauranga's museum.
Meanwhile, Gail McIntosh, committee deputy chairwoman, has come out in favour of the integrated facility.
She released a statement calling on ratepayers to lobby their councillors in favour of that option.
Two standalone facilities would be nice but she said the city could not afford them.
Her vote was leaning towards a stripped-back version of the integrated museum and library with an estimated price tag of $70m.
Tauranga did not need an "iconic" museum, she told the Bay of Plenty Times .
"We need to cut our cloth to suit our budget."
Annual running costs estimates
Included commercial revenue, interest and depreciation.
Reinstate central library: $0.4m
Standalone library Willow St: $3.7m
Standalone museum on Cliff Rd: $5.5m
Integrated museum and library on Willow: $6.2m
Two standalone facilities (library on Willow St, museum on Cliff Rd): $9.2m
Buddy Mikaere - tangata whenua
"We're quite confident our pakeha colleagues and friends have the ability to put together a library... but for a museum, we want to be involved."
Gail McIntosh - committee deputy chairwoman
"We need to cut our cloth to suit our budget."
Larry Baldock - committee chairman
"We focus on visitation numbers because it impacts on our operational expenditure. That's the big challenge paying for it going forward."
Bill Grainger - councillor
"What if this museum was different and quite unique with regards to any other in New Zealand?"
Brian Berry - Tauranga Mainstreet
"I think we should be aiming for an iconic museum and a functional library. A museum has to be a must-go to place in Tauranga."