Moved By Cr Phil Halse, Seconded By Cr Gavin Benney
That the Council;
1. Endorses the art and culture benefit the Hundertwasser Art Centre and the Wairau Māori Art Gallery bring to Whangarei, the wider Northland region, New Zealand and internationally.
2. Notes the Trust have followed the requirements set out in the Trust Deed and the Deed of Guarantee and Indemnity.
3. Notes the options presented for the future of the Hundertwasser Art Centre.
4. Approves option 1 as the preferred option
5. Approves the request for the remaining $1 million guarantee held by the Trust, to be transferred from the Trust term deposit account to a council deposit account to be held on behalf of the Trust.
6. Approves the payment of $300,000 of the $1 million to the Trust, as per Item 5, this financial year 2022-2023.
7. Approves funding for the remaining shortfall this financial year of $500,000 funded by way of an additional operational expense in the form of a grant as unbudgeted spend in this financial year and paid to the Trust in April 2023.
8. Approves additional annual operating funding of $100,000 from 2023-2024 financial year and work with the Trust to review and implement a financial remediation plan, ahead of the Long-Term Plan 2024-2034.
9. Notes that after releasing the $300,000 above in item 6, the remaining guarantee is still $1,500,000, made up of $750,000 original guarantee funds and $750,000 Ngati Wai guarantee.
10. Approves providing up to $500,000 of the $1,500,000 in the 2023- 2024 financial year to support Hundertwasser Art Centre operations for any financial deficit.
11. Notes that if $500,000 were to be released during 2023-2024 financial year above in item 10, the remaining guarantee will be $1,000,000, made up of $250,000 original guarantee funds and $750,000 Ngati Wai guarantee.
12. Council requests the Trust to seek additional funding sources including external funding and implementation of their own fundraising activities
How they voted
FOR: Mayor Cocurullo, Cr Gavin Benney, Cr Nicholas Connop, Cr Phil Halse, Cr Deborah Harding, Cr Scott McKenzie, Cr Carol Peters, Cr Phoenix Ruka
AGAINST: Cr Jayne Golightly, Cr Patrick Holmes, Cr Marie Olsen, Cr Simon Reid, Cr Paul Yovich.
Conflict: Cr Ken Couper
