The latest design for Michael Parekowhai's state house sculpture, which is planned for Queens Wharf.
The latest design for Michael Parekowhai's state house sculpture, which is planned for Queens Wharf.
Council committee decides to seek feedback on controversial Queens Wharf artwork.
The controversial $1.5 million "lighthouse" sculpture on Queens Wharf will be publicly notified.
The Auckland Council hearings committee took the decision late yesterday after the application on behalf of Waterfront Auckland recommended the public have no say.
Committee chairwoman, councillor Linda Cooper, said the notification process would be focused on the location of the artwork.
"Queens Wharf is a publicly accessible wharf and public interest in this project is high.
"Notification will address the location of the artwork and its fit with Queens Wharf as a public space - not the merits of the artwork itself.
"We have also made this decision to notify the consent in order to address some of the misinformation and speculation that we have seen reported in recent weeks," she said.
Ms Cooper said the standard process for receiving an application from one of the council's "family" of organisations, in this case Waterfront Auckland, was followed. The process included referring the application to the Hearings Committee.
The three-member committee recommended public notification, saying Queens Wharf is of public interest through its registration as a Category 1 Historic Place and it established greater certainty for the applicant as well as other parties with a wider public interest.
The application is likely to be notified in the next week or so. There is a 20 working day submission period followed by public hearings before an independent panel.
The sculpture, based on a modest Mt Eden state house, measures 6.3m by 8.3m and is 6.7m high.
The artwork, by Michael Parekowhai, has impressed art critics, but attracted some public criticism.
It is being funded by a $1 million donation from real estate firm Barfoot & Thompson and other private donors.
The decision was welcomed by councillors Mike Lee and Chris Darby, who have pushed for public notification.
Mr Lee said he hoped it signalled a genuine change of attitude by the council and the public's aspirations and sense of ownership of the waterfront would be taken more seriously from now on.
Mr Darby said the council was acting like the good citizens it asked others to be.
"The Resource Management Act allows for wide-ranging input and because the artwork is a structure it will be subject to broad tests," Mr Darby said.
