'Do it once, do it right': $303m revamp for Tauranga's civic centre gets the go ahead

Wednesday, 25 May 2022

Te Manawataki o Te Papa will include a library, museum, and an upgrade of the Baycourt Community and Arts Centre.

Tauranga’s civic precinct has been given the green light and the full $303 million project will be realised.

During a Tauranga City Council meeting on Tuesday the commissioners unanimously approved delivering Te Manawataki o Te Papa in full, as a single-phased approach.

Te Manawataki o Te Papa will occupy the area between Wharf Street and Hamilton Street in central Tauranga.

It includes a library, museum, civic whare (a venue for council and community meetings), an exhibition space and upgrading Baycourt Community and Arts Centre.

The project’s worth a lot of money but is “a major part of the CBD’s reboot”, Tauranga City Council commission chair Anne Tolley said.

* 'Not the normal way of doing things': Tolley eyes a brave new Tauranga

* Tauranga's civic precinct: A silver bullet or red herring?

Ratepayers will contribute about $152m of the project’s cost, wheras another $150m is expected from “asset recycling and grants”.

Masonic Park will also be upgraded and connections to the water will be improved through a waterfront reserve.

Commission chair Anne Tolley said because of formal submissions and conversations with the community, she was “very comfortable” that the community had a “good understanding” that although the precinct was “a lot of money, it’s a major part of the CBD’s reboot”.

Ratepayers will be expected to pay about $152 million of the cost of Te Manawataki o te Papa, another $150m is expected to come from asset recycling and grants.

The redevelopment will happen in the area between Wharf Street and Hamilton Street in central Tauranga.

During the council’s month long annual and long-term plan consultation it asked people which of two options they would prefer.

Option one was the full precinct, the other a scaled-back version that included a library and community hub and the civic whare, at a cost of $126.8 million.

Council received 628 submissions about the precinct with 450 (72 per cent) in support of option one, compared to 128 (20 per cent) that supported the second option. Fifty people (8 per cent) chose 'no option'.

“This is reflecting the hopes and dreams of many, many people in the city over the last 10 to 15 years,” said Tolley.

“We can feel the weight of history on our shoulders, that we have the opportunity and that's a unique opportunity that we have to bring all that to life.”

During the meeting project partner Willis Bond's director Wayne Silver, warned of escalation costs of $32 million.

He said this was because of inflation and building costs, but it would be absorbed by the $303 million budget.

Silver also identified areas of ground that had a risk of liquefaction and would need a 12-month settling period.

A strong feeling of “do it once, do it right” came through in community consultation, commissioners said (file photo).

This meant the civic whare, and exhibition centre would likely require piling. The edge of the museum was also on that land, he said.

Silver recommended starting construction on the library first, followed by the museum, as it was on “relatively stable” ground.

Delaying construction of the civic whare was necessary to take account of infrastructure issues, he said.

Tolley was in favour of getting the museum underway “as soon as we possibly can”.

Silver also presented a number of potential enhancements that included solar panels, grey water recycling and timber facades to achieve Green Star building certification and offset carbon.

Tolley said the enhancements were aspirational and not what the council had consulted on.

'We've said if there are cost escalations, if significant, we have to come back to the public. Before we have that conversation there may be other ways,' she said.

The building's facades are yet to be decided but council is expected to make a decision in time for resource consent to be lodged at the end of October.

Commissioner Stephen Selwood said the precinct was an opportunity to catalyse transformation of the whole Ta Papa peninsula.

Te Papa peninsula is the area from State Highway 29A and Barkes Corner down to the Tauranga Marina.

“This is an opportunity for the community right across the whole city to enjoy the CBD as it will be in the future,” said Selwood.

He said it will have environmental, cultural, social and “significant economic” benefits right across the city and wider subregion.

Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston said one of the key things that came from community engagement was “do it once, do it right”.

“The city has a history of doing it once and doing it again and again,” he said.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make bold decisions to enhance and move the city forward.”