Integrated concept proposed to broaden project viability

An innovative new direction has been proposed for the multi-million-dollar Te Ahu project at Kaitaia.

The proposal calls for the integration of the new Te Ahu multifunctional facility with the existing Far North Community Centre complex to create a "one stop shop" for community services, the arts, cultural groups and the wider community.

The multi-function concept could reduce overall development costs by integrating existing facilities into the new development, creating an enlarged venue with regional marketing potential.

Chairman of the Te Ahu Charitable Trust Ian Bamber says the trust was extremely conscious of the need to have the community on board and comfortable with the concept before final design decisions are made and before the trust moves into construction mode.

The revised concept if adopted will provide accommodation that will meet the demands of its users and will provide a unique venue for community services and the arts, culture and entertainment sectors.

"Potentially this is a win-win for the community – the same level of accommodation and services proposed for the Te Ahu centre will still be provided as always intended, and the existing facilities in the Far North Community Centre will be refurbished and improved to provide a modern, more practical and cost effective community and entertainment centre with a modern façade in keeping with the Te Ahu concept.

"The idea is to give the Little Theatre a total facelift and improve the functionality of the area and to provide public space that better meets the future needs of the community.

"It just makes good sense. The Far North District Council faces some very substantial costs in the immediate future to bring the Far North Community Centre up to scratch and as the two sites are adjoining, integration will mean a single management and administration structure instead of costly duplication.

"By pooling our resources there have to be benefits for the community and for ratepayers," he says.

"The real victory is that this can be achieved with very little impact on the overall budget and at the same time will provide new income streams for ongoing maintenance and development. In essence this provides an opportunity to provide more facilities for the community in a more cost-effective way," he says.

It will also provide a broader base on which the trust can seek funding support and a wider range of facilities to offer the market to enhance the commercial viability of the concept.

A proposal has been put to the Far North District Council to incorporate the Far North Community Centre into the Te Ahu development and the initial reaction has been favorable. Council has indicated to the Te Ahu Charitable trust the need to retain existing functions.

"However there are a few matters related to tenure and the financial implications still to be resolved, and the council has yet to give the concept the go ahead. We anticipate the concept will be ready for the council to formally consider soon," he says.

The trust is taking the proposal into the public arena to provide the opportunity for full and open debate in its early stages, once ideas have become crystallized, to ensure that the change in direction does not delay the construction of the new facilities. Projections are still for a construction start mid next year with completion scheduled for mid 2010.

"We have to move forward as a matter or urgency to meet the commitments we have made to our funding providers. Even with the changes proposed, the trust is still confident the project will be under construction mid next year," he says. 


Community Board shows its support

The Northern (Te Hiku) Community Board has committed $100,000 over the next five years to confirm its support for the Te Ahu multi-function community facility.

The funding, to be allocated as $20,000 annual grants through to 2013, has been earmarked for a community component within the Te Ahu Charitable Trust development concept which seeks to establish joint facilities for a library, i-Site, museum, cultural centre, arts facility, council Service Centre and café.

The commitment is intended to provide the trust with an element of funding certainty, as something which the trust can borrow against if the full amount is required at an earlier date.

The grant has been "tagged" for a community element to differentiate between any funding the Far North District Council may contribute to support facilities such as the Service Centre, library, and i-Site, and the community-based facilities within the new facility.
 

The board has yet to discuss with the trust exactly how the money will be applied, but it will be towards a specific project within the overall development.

The board has also supported in principle the trust's proposal to integrate the new Te Ahu centre with the adjoining Far North Community Centre and wants to see the two components of the project proceed as a single entity.

"There is an urgent need to upgrade the Far North Community Centre before it deteriorates any further, and this is going to involve a great deal of money. It's in the interests of the ratepayers that there is no duplication of effort, facilities and funding. Carrying out the work as a single project is a logical approach," board chair Fiona King says.

"The Community Centre is in a very rundown condition, and this is an opportunity to get the building and the services such as lighting and sound up to scratch again and improve the utilization of the building," she says.