Far North District councillors are calling in the Auditor-General to find out how they came to be saddled with an unexpected $130,000 bill for a public sculpture.
The artwork by renowned Kerikeri sculptor Chris Booth was unveiled at the Kerikeri Domain in June 2009. It consists of more than 100 boulders stacked in columns up to 11m high and topped by cast bronze shells.
An anonymous Northland couple donated $500,000 towards the sculpture, which Mr Booth had wanted to build since 1978.
The previous Far North District Council agreed to contribute $150,000 for the base and landscaping, but it emerged at last week's meeting that the council had to pay another $129,789 to cover a funding shortfall.
The revelation, which came just days after the council finalised a no-frills Annual Plan with widespread cost cuts, angered Mayor Wayne Brown.
Councillors who had served under the previous mayor said they neither knew about, nor approved, the extra funding, and Councillor Tom Baker said he had even voted against the $150,000 council contribution.
According to the June 30 council agenda, the agreement struck between the donors, the artist and the Kerikeri Domain Charitable Trust in January 2008 stated that $500,000 would come from the donors, $150,000 from the council, and $214,750 from "third parties" which the council would do its best to find.
If the money could not be found the donors would make up the shortfall, but they also had the right to cancel the agreement.
The sculpture cost $84,000 less than expected but that still left a shortfall of close to $130,000.
The donors would not pay out the extra money, saying there was no evidence the council had tried to find third party funders as agreed.
Mr Brown wanted to know how it was possible that the extra cost was not included in any budget and had only just come to light, even though both he and Councillor Ann Court - who he described as a "ferret for information" - were on the Kerikeri Domain Trust.
"I had no idea we had exposure to another $150,000.
"I want to know how this popped up, and why we didn't know," he said.
Mr Brown said it was especially surprising given the "raging public debate" about the sculpture and the council's plans for the Domain at the time.
Councillor Di Maxwell said it appeared the extra cost had been hidden from councillors, but it was unfair to blame current staff.
The chief financial officer and chief executive of the time no longer worked for the Far North District Council.
Councillor Court questioned whether it was legal for previous council staff to authorise spending of more than $200,000 without councillors putting it to a vote.
"Did staff act within their legal powers, and do we have any legal remedy?"
Councillors passed a motion that the Auditor-General be asked to look into the matter and examine whether any delegated authority had been exceeded. Depending on the findings, legal action to recover costs was a possibility.
"I'm not going to have this swept under the carpet," Mr Brown fumed.
Mr Booth's work can be seen worldwide, including in the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Canada, Australia and England.
But the Domain sculpture was the first in the sculptor's hometown.
Other New Zealand works include the entrance arch to Auckland's Albert Park, the Rainbow Warrior Memorial at Matauri Bay, and the Wave and Waka in Whangarei.
$130k sculpture decision scrutiny
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