Napier residents fight for War Memorial options

Craig Morley and Dorothy Pilkington say Napier needs an indoor option for the War Memorial redevelopment. Photo / Paul Taylor

A group of Napier residents is fighting for the council's public consultation process on the war memorial to include an indoor option.

Five Napier residents are holding a public meeting on Sunday to discuss two proposals about where the plaques and eternal flame should be placed, which the council is putting out for public consultation.

The residents are also suggesting a third proposal, to site the plaques and eternal flame inside.

One of the organisers, Craig Morley , said the council orginially had three ideas which it was going to consult on, one indoor and two outdoor options, but this had been reduced to the two outdoor options.

He started talking with Dorothy Pilkington, from Historic Places Hawke's Bay, and they both felt two options was not enough for the public to make a decision.

"The public deserve to have the choice, or choices that they've always been given, obviously one of those was to have a indoor option," Morley said.

Pilkington said it was up to Napier's public, not the council, to decide what they wanted to see happen with the memorial.

"The council passed a motion of June 29th that they would put three options out for consultation."

"The in-building option was one of the three but they withdrew that option."

"So there isn't an in-building one."

"There should be enough options for the people of Napier to make up their mind, not just two options that the council has decided is sufficient."

Councillor Kirsten Wise said it was vital the community had a say in the restoration process.

"It's their war memorial, it was orginially built with a lot of public funding."

"I think it's actually vital that they have the say in what actually happens with the restoration."

"I don't believe they've had that opportunity yet."

She said it was the Mayor's preference that only the council-designed option went out for public consultation.

"That's not consultation, as far as I'm concerned," Wise said.

The council originally decided on three options to go to public consultation but architect Brent Scott, who designed the inside option, withdrew his design, Wise said.

Napier City Council chief executive Wayne Jack said the council would consult on the war memorial design, and he was unable to comment on the meeting as it was organised by a private group.

Mayor Bill Dalton declined to comment on the situation.

The meeting will be held tomorrow, Sunday, at 2pm at the former Soldiers Club building on Marine Parade.