Rudman's city: Art is in beholder's eye, especially in spudland

By BRIAN RUDMAN

Down in the spudlands of Pukekohe they seem to talk a different dialect from other Aucklanders. Words like "art" and "significant" and "Auckland region" have developed a whole new meaning.

At tomorrow's meeting of the Franklin District Council, we'll discover how big the comprehension gap has grown. That's when councillors will decide how to share the $364,000 windfall Franklin received as its share of the $10 million bequeathed to Aucklanders for arts projects on the dissolution of the Auckland Regional Services Trust in October 1998.

The intentions of parliamentarians at the time is clearly set out in the Local Government Amendment Act (No 6) 1998.

"On 1 October 1998 there must be paid out of the assets of the Auckland Regional Services Trust ... $10 million to the territorial authorities within the Auckland region ... to be held in trust to be applied to significant projects in the Auckland region in the area of arts and culture."

The arts community had lobbied for a single regional arts trust. The National Party majority daftly decided that separate trusts based on each of the seven territorial councils would be better. However, parliamentarians agreed with the art community's plea that the money be directed to significant regional arts and cultural projects.

So what do these words mean in Franklin-speak? Well they certainly do not seem to encompass anything with Auckland in its name. Auckland Philharmonia, the Auckland Theatre Company and the City of Auckland Morris Dancers all got the standard rejection slip.

So did the International Music Festival, which annually presents a week of first-class classical music, and the Auckland-based New Zealand Opera.

What does meet Franklin's interpretation of regionally significant art and culture, however, is a $38,520 5m by 3m ferro-cement oyster-catcher bird sculpture which, in the words of artist Tony Johnston, is "in the manner of the Lemon and Paeroa bottle located in Paeroa [and] the large carrot located at the eastern end of Ohakune".

That's one of seven short-listed contenders for the arts cash. The others are a website promoting the works of Franklin's artists ($25,000), a plan "to rebuild a replica of the original wooden lighthouse" at the Manukau Heads which would "be a huge tourist attraction of benefit to the whole of Franklin" ($59,050), a book on the history of the Waiau Pa ($1200) and a contribution towards a new $8 million "five star" marae at Tahuna Marae, Waiuku ($50,000).

All these items, however, are mere bagatelles to the main item on the list - a request for $330,000 to build an extension to Franklin's arts and culture centre, formerly the old Pukekohe municipal chambers.

Now I know that in these post-modern times what is good art is in the eye of the beholder. And think on the bright side - instead of a giant concrete bird, it could have been a giant potato.

What is outrageous is Franklin's apparent flouting of the more easily definable part of the law which refers to "significant projects in the Auckland region." It's been done by cartographical trickery.

The northern half of Franklin District is in the Auckland Regional Council area, the southern half is in the Waikato region. The application brochure asks: "Does your group have an arts or cultural project that needs funding? Is this in the Auckland region of the Franklin District? (see map). If so, ring us to be sent an information pack."

The map, shown below left, has a drawing of Franklin divided into two regions, the Auckland region and the Waikato region. The criteria list then states that "the project must occur within the geographical boundaries of the Auckland region (see map)". If you look at the map, Auckland region is defined, not as you and I understand it, but as solely the northern half of Franklin.

When Angela Antony, chairman of Arts Advocates Auckland, complained about this, Franklin chief executive Stephen Town said the map was for Franklin residents who might have been confused whether they were in Auckland or Waikato.

"We believe that citizens in other districts and cities know they are in the Auckland region and for that reason we did not include a map showing, for example, that Waitakere City is in the Auckland region. It might well have been clearer," he did concede, "if we had."

More believable is what Franklin District spokesman Ken Dyer told me back in April when the brochure first appeared.

He quite openly agreed the money was destined solely for the Auckland half of Franklin. He said it was a matter of each part of Auckland getting its own share of the money back.

"The ideal was to have it to the benefit of Franklin because we're fairly limited in our art and culture money way out here in the boonies."

True, perhaps. But it's far from what the act says. And if the councillors don't want a knock on the door from the Auditor-General, could I suggest they read the relevant law before tomorrow's vote.