Gate Pa funding may jump $7700

Kelvin Clout

The $32,000 Tauranga ratepayers are funding for the Battle of Gate Pa 150th commemorations next month looks likely to be increased to nearly $40,000.

The organisers of the transformation of Greerton Hall into a display where people can step back into history have asked the council to waive $7700 of hall hire costs.

Terry Molloy and exhibition producer Tereora Crane put the request during the public forum at the start of yesterday's Community Development Committee meeting.

Councillors Kelvin Clout and Clayton Mitchell urged the committee to agree to forgo the rental, but they were outvoted.

Chairman Steve Morris reminded them the committee did not have decision making powers. Cr Gail McIntosh said $7700 was an extra three rates bills and no matter how well intentioned people were, it was not council's money to give away.

Other councillors supported going through due process in order to send a message they could not be rushed into making decisions. However, there appeared to be a lot of sympathy to waive the hall rental.

The request from the Battle of Gate Pa Trust will go to next Monday's council meeting. It was the only call on council funding by the trust established to mount the exhibition that opens on April 27 - two days before the 150th commemorations.

The official commemorations organised by the Pukehinahina Trust have received $32,000 from the council.

Cr Mitchell said it was wasting time to put it on to next week's agenda because it was a no brainer. "It's good for our city and our kids."

Cr Clout said the amount of money was not massive.

The hall will be transformed into an exhibition where people walk two pathways leading to a model of the field of battle - one follows the story of a Maori warrior and the other a British soldier.

The idea to utilise latest technologies to tell the story from two perspectives was the brainchild of Mr Molloy and author Tommy "Kapai" Wilson.