Te Ara Wai Museum concepts.
The committee behind planning for the $33.1 million Te Ara Wai Museum in Te Awamutu met this week but, as with previous meetings this year, most of it was behind closed doors.
The meeting took place after The News went to press on Tuesday with two agenda items – details of the project structure and a detailed operational project plan – held with the public present.
But those items discussed ensuring operational oversight of the project.
Sally Sheedy
Customer and Community group manager Sally Sheedy told the committee, chaired by Cr Andrew Brown, that a project structure needed to be in place to start detailed design and gain consent applications.
That work uses $5.24 million of Better off Funding the Waipā council secured from the previous government which developed the $2 billion to help pay for projects which help build resilience to climate change or natural hazards, enable housing development or support community improvements. The fund was developed as part of Three Waters reform which the incoming government has promised to repeal.
“The project structure will support the delivery of the project from the design phase through to construction and finally the operation of Te Ara Wai,” said Sheedy in a report to the committee.
“It must support reporting requirements and be flexible to evolve through the various stages of the project. Progressing through the various project stages is dependent on the approval of the committee and council along with successfully securing external funding required.”
A 40-page economic report The News obtained through a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) request last month revealed it would cost the council $2.509 million a year to run the museum.
Te Ara Wai Museum concepts.
All but $9 million of the $33 million cost would be funded through the council’s Long Term Plan. Existing commitments from organisations such as Trust Waikato meant there was a shortfall of $6.550 million, the report said.
Neil Anderson of Neil Anderson Consulting presented an overview of the project plan to the committee this week while another consultant, Steve Bramley of SGL Ltd, provided a project structure update before the committee went into public excluded under Section 7 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.
Those items – procurement reviews of Te Ara Wai itself and the museum’s exhibitions – are held behind closed doors to enable the council to carry out commercial activities with prejudice or disadvantage and to protect confidences.
The open part of the meeting was expected to take 35 minutes, according to the agenda.
Committee members including Brown are mayor Susan O’Regan, deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk, Paraone Goyne, Lee-Ann Muntz and Glenda Taithua.
Te Ara Wai Museum concepts.
