Four mystery options shortlisted

The former harbour board and NRC building at the Town Basin. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Twenty one ideas for the future of Whangarei's former harbour board building have been whittled down to four mystery proposals.

The 21 had been reduced to seven earlier this week, and then a further three were culled.

The remaining four have not been identified, however a Hundertwasser Arts Centre could rise in Whangarei if one response to the council's call for ideas for the former harbour board building finds favour.

After a close vote by Whangarei District Council in June gave the thumbs down to the controversial plan to turn the building into a $13 million, largely ratepayer funded Hundertwasser architectural statement-come-arts centre, the council invited the public and interested parties to submit ideas for the Town Basin site.

Mayor Sheryl Mai announced this week that seven of 21 submissions have passed the criteria to go to the next stage of consideration. The 21 ideas ranged from themed museums, a cultural centre and arts complex, apartments, an old people's home or leaving the site bare.

Backers of the revisited Hundertwasser plan say they have written support from the Hundertwasser Foundation and the Austrian Government. Barry Trass, from the Prosper Northland charitable trust which is proposing the resurrected but differently funded plan, said the group felt the public and the council had not rejected the Hundertwasser plan itself but the funding means and ongoing ratepayer responsibility.

"We set our trust up out of frustration that the building was still sitting there unused. Here was a great proposal, and we reviewed the possibilities based on a lot less ratepayer funding," Mr Trass said.

"We thought if we want to get that proposal up and running again we needed to visit the foundation in Vienna, which we did. The foundation was very upset the Whangarei council's proposal had fallen through but got excited about the possibility it could still go ahead."

Prosper Northland came back from Vienna with written support from the foundation and Austrian Government officials, he said.

The only other 'big idea' among the chosen ones to be made public is by the Future Whangarei group for the building to become a multipurpose, multimedia arts centre which also celebrates the district's maritime heritage. That project would require extensive remodelling but not dramatically transform the building's style. Future Whangarei has given its project the working title Harbourside which reflects the area's maritime history, locale and role and other links, including as a meeting place in Maori and European traditions.

Both Prosper Northland and Future Whangarei want to see any plan for the building aligned with the planned Hihiaua Maori cultural centre.

The council was looking for proposals that held local, national and international appeal, explained how they will be funded and any ongoing costs for ratepayers, reflected the district, fitted the 20/20 Living the Vision blueprints and complemented neighbouring features and developments, such as Whangarei Falls, Parihaka, Town Basin, Hatea Loop and Te Matau a Pohe, Ms Mai said.

The proposals will be put to the council's 20/20 Inner City Revitalisation Committee for consideration.

"A council workshop will also be held to identify the most viable proposals, then a recommendation will be taken to an Extraordinary Council meeting on 29 October," Ms Mai said.