A Rotorua mayoral candidate says the tab for Rotorua Museum's $18 million-$20 million funding shortfall should be picked up by the Government.
Local Democracy Reporting asked the seven mayoral candidates what they thought should happen to the Rotorua Museum and Blue Baths buildings, how they should be paid for and what they would do, if elected, to enable that.
It follows the revelation in June the museum project would need at least $18m more on top of the already-funded $53.5m to secure its completion, despite the 106-year-old building being closed since 2016.
The council has previously said no single existing funder was able to cover the shortfall, although there were "indications" some additional funding may be available, with the conclusion of discussions expected at year-end.
Blue Baths was closed in January last year and the council and incumbent mayor Steve Chadwick has previously confirmed addressing the 88-year-old building's structural integrity issues was not a priority.
On Monday, mayoral candidate Tania Tapsell said if elected mayor she would ask the community for input into "options" on what would happen to the museum and how to fund the rebuild and ongoing maintenance.
"As a national heritage building, the restoration and maintenance should be paid for by Government, not locals."
She said progress needed to be made as soon as possible.
"Due to funding constraints, I will prioritise the museum and then will focus on the Blue Baths afterwards."
She believed due to the "significant cost" to bring the Blue Baths up to standard, the cost of repair would need to be shared with "other partners".
Mayoral candidate Reynold Macpherson said there should be "top priority" given to restoring the Rotorua Museum because it was "essential to community pride and the recovery of tourism".
If elected mayor he would commission a taskforce that would "review and compress" the council's redevelopment plans for the museum into a "restoration project".
He would also develop a "fresh financing strategy" using local and central sources, which would include a public-private partnership "if need be".
He said he would also devise a project management plan for formal approval by elected members, which would define how the project would be executed, monitored and controlled.
The same taskforce would be used for the Blue Baths, he said, with priority for that project "queued closely behind" the museum.
Mayoral candidate Ben Sandford said it was "incredibly important" the museum was restored and reopened.
"We need to get as much external funding as possible. This will include working with existing funders, looking into new funding options, and most importantly creating partnerships to help with the cost and get the work done."
Sandford said he would do that by "building relationships and partnership", and through "ongoing engagement and making sure [the] council is working as a facilitator".
He said the same strategy needed to be used to fund the Blue Baths as he had applied to the museum.
Mayoral candidate Kalaadevi Ananda said she wanted to see the museum completed but in the meantime, believed it could partially reopen.
"There are other museum access points we could consider with reduced entry free."
She said she would "act on this within the first week" of her mayoralty, if elected, and suggested a partial reopening could help fund the rest of the project.
To pay for the museum's shortfall, she would survey the public with several options, including lobbying central government, holding a lottery "and apply to national lottery for funds"
Other options included "sponsorship by ratepayers, interested philanthropists and businesses" in exchange for possible name plaques on "rooms or beams".
Ananda also suggested a government-funded training scheme for geothermal construction engineering, with trainees able to apply skills on the museum project.
She said the Blue Baths was also an "iconic" building and would also "present a survey to the people" with options for funding for it.
Ratepayers, through the council, have contributed $15.5m towards the museum project, and the Rotorua Trust has contributed $10m.
The Government has contributed about $22m and the Lottery Grants Board has contributed $6m.
Mayoral candidate Raj Kumar said it was "too far into the rabbit hole" to pull out of the museum project.
"While the question of funding remains, this city icon was supposedly [had to] have secured all funding."
He said a "forensic review" and "responsibility assessment" needed to be made and "delivered to the people before a consultation on the remaining closed assets".
Mayoral candidate Fletcher Tabuteau said everyone he'd spoken to wanted the museum back, and the "asset" needed to return as soon as possible.
"[If elected] I will ensure [existing funders] continue to walk alongside us in our ambitions to re-open the museum."
He said he wanted the council to investigate how the Blue Baths could be reopened, and said it would require a temporary refit to bring it "up to operational standard" to allow commercial operators to use it again.
"Long term we will need to address seismic compliance."
Mayoral candidate Rania Sears did not respond to a request for comment.
