Regional amenities to get their $11.6m

Ten Auckland amenities will share an $11.6 million grant for the 2010-2011 year from regional ratepayers following a ruling by retired High Court Judge Peter Salmon, QC.

Mr Salmon was acting as arbitrator between the Funding Board set up to calculate the grant, and representatives from Waitakere, North Shore, Manukau, Franklin and Papakura who wanted to cut the grant to $11.1 million because of the "economic crisis".

"I can see nothing in the funding principles which would require the board to limit the grants in times of economic stress. Indeed, one can understand that in such times the amenities might be more reliant on the grants," he said.

The Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Act 2008 set a maximum levy for the amenities of 2 per cent of total overall rates, to be phased in over four years.

For last year, Parliament set the levy at $9 million, rising to a maximum of $12 million in the second year, $15 million the next, after which the 2 per cent of rates would kick in.

Mr Salmon said both sides could have done better at asking for, and providing information to each other. However, the funding board "did adopt a proper assessment of the applications [from the amenities] and ... those applications do not contravene the funding principles."

This year's grants (with last year's in brackets) will be: Auckland Observatory and Planetarium, $800,000 ($500,000); Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, $2.12 million ($1.5 million); Auckland Regional Rescue Helicopter, $1.2 million ($1.5 million); Auckland Theatre Company, $1.07 million ($800,000); Coastguard Northern Region, $610,000 ($500,000); NZ Maritime Museum, $1.4 million ($1 million); NZ Opera, $650,000 ($500,000); Surf Life Saving Northern Region, $900,000, ($700,000); Auckland Festival, $1.875 million ($1.2 million); Watersafe Auckland, $660,000 ($500,000).