KEY POINTS:
A telephone poll has revealed that fewer than half of Tauranga residents want a planned $21 million museum, and the preferred waterfront site has less than 30 per cent support.
But Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby and a steering group promoting the project said the poll results were heartening.
"There's still division on the project and we've got to be clear about that," Mr Crosby said. "But all we're doing at the moment is building a bank of knowledge."
He said the museum was not proposed to open for another five years and already support had grown from 15 per cent when the idea was first put forward in 1998.
The poll results, due to be released today, show 49.6 per cent of residents want a museum, 30.8 per cent do not, and 19.6 per cent are undecided.
Those opposed said the main reason was that the money would be better spent on roads and other infrastructure.
Those in favour believed a museum was needed to give Tauranga more culture and a place to store its history.
Tauranga City Council conducted the poll to gauge wider opinion after submissions for its 10-year plan showed only about half the community supported the project.
The poll attracted criticism for surveying just 1000 people, but the council defended the sample size, saying a sample of as few as 400 people would give a statistically accurate picture of the population's views.
Other polls on the museum, which is now part of the 10-year plan, have also revealed lukewarm support, particularly for using ratepayer funds.
The Bay of Plenty Times conducted a three-day text poll asking, "Do you want a publicly funded museum - yes or no?" and received 397 votes, 71.5 per cent opposed.
Tauranga Issues Committee spokesman Ken Evans is also running two online polls, one for the project and the other against.
He said yesterday that 653 people had voted in favour of the museum, and 767 against.
The museum was included in the council's 10-year plan on the basis that half the funding was from sources other than rates.
Even with that proviso, the project would cost individual ratepayers $55 a year in running costs.
Councillors will vote next week on whether to proceed with the museum.
