In March, you will be invited to vote on three proposals. You will be asked to choose what you consider to be the best use of the old Harbour Board building at the Town Basin, unoccupied for almost 15 years. Location doesn't come into it. It is to do with the building itself.
One proposal is to demolish it. Another is to transform it into a maritime museum - the Harbourside Maritime Museum. This proposal will be totally funded by the WDC and is expected to cost ratepayers $900,000 per annum to operate. So far we haven't been told what the cost to ratepayers will be of the actual renovations.
The third proposal is to transform the building into an art museum, the HWMAC, which will house not only original Hundertwasser art but the best of Maori art also. This proposal will be privately funded - no cost to the ratepayer. The money has been pledged and the proposal has even been endorsed by our Prime Minister, John Key, Minister of Tourism. The Prosper Northland Trust is prepared to underwrite any losses over the next 10 years.
The last two proposals have to meet certain strict criteria. I believe former deputy mayor Phil Halse (and former supporter of the Hundertwasser idea) was responsible for the criteria. Among the criteria is one to "support Maori aspirations" and so therefore I expect the Harbourside proposal will also house Maori art? Some people seem to have a problem with this.
I agree with one gentleman's statement that most museums run at a loss. He gives examples of the Auckland War Memorial Museum and Te Papa. These require an enormous amount of funding.
