Waihi Art Centre future: Community keen to save museum, feedback shows

President of Waihi Drama Society, Lucy James, and chairman of the Waihi Arts Centre and Museum committee, Austin Rattray, at the Waihi Arts Centre and Museum.

The community wants to save the Waihi Art Centre and Museum, the majority of submitters on Hauraki District Council’s Long-term Plan (LTP) have indicated.

As part of the council’s draft LTP 2024-34, it asked the community about the future of the museum, which is located in a building that has a “notice to fix” on it.

The council has 25 years to do the work, however, in its LTP it asked the community if it should sell the building or fix it, with cost options of between $750,000 and $3.5 million.

Fixing the roof was also planned and budgeted for as a separate project.

The majority (25) submitters preferred the $750,000 option, which would include minimum seismic-strengthening work.

The minimum standard a building of its type and age must meet in terms of earthquake strength was at least 34 per cent of new building standards.

Significant parts of the building were at 20 per cent of new building standards and a notice to fix had been placed on it as required by the Building Act.

The council considered four options: keeping the building as it is, doing the work for $750,000 ($7 per ratepayer annually), selling the property for an estimated $850,000 or doing major seismic strengthening and upgrading for $3.5m ($33 per ratepayer annually).

Because it is a heritage building, the council could also request an extension of an additional 10 years.

Nine submitters signalled keeping the building as is and delaying all seismic strengthening work for 10 years, while five submitters wanted sell the property and two said to undertake major strengthening work and an upgrade.

The council had summarised 297 submission points from 94 submitters on the LTP.

The Waihi Art Centre and Museum attracted a significant number of feedback points by topic, (45), second only to community recreation (50).

Over the three days of deliberations on the Long Term Plan 2024-34, the council is hearing submissions from Citizens Advice Bureau Hamilton, Life Education Trust Waikato East, Coromandel Heritage Trust, Paeroa and District Historical Society, Waihi Community Resource Centre, Waikato Screen, Wahi Arts Centre and Museum, Hauraki Plains Community Hub, Creative Waikato, Community Waikato, South Auckland Masonic Properties, Hauraki Coromandel Federated Farmers, Turua Hall, Domain and Community Incorporated Society, Waihi Swimming Club, Sport Waikato, Ohinemuri Sport and Recreation Hub, Hauraki Rail Trail Charitable Trust, Hauraki Reuse Centre Trust and the Sport n Action Waihi Charitable Trust.

Hearings and deliberations are due to wrap up today.