Questions and Answers

Why was The Te Ahu Charitable Trust formed?

Te Ahu was formed as Charitable Trust in response to the need for improved accommodation for identified council and community groups including the library, i Site, museum, and arts and cultural facilities..

Who are the Trustees and how were they appointed

The Te Ahu Charitable Trust was officially formed after nominations were called from the Far North community, resulting in a council resolution on 22 February 2007, as follows:

Five Trustees to be known As "Council Trustees":
Mary-Jane Ardley, Dixon Motu, Mike Mitcalfe, Ian Bamber and His worship the Mayor - Wayne Brown
One Trustee to be known as the "Te Rarawa Trustee": Kevin Robinson
One Trustee to be known as "Museum Trustee": Phil Cross
One Trustee to be known as "Chairperson": His worship the Mayor - Wayne Brown

An additional Trustee, Susan Gray, was co-opted onto the Trust to ensure that the needs of the arts community were considered.

The Trustees were appointed and formalised with the creation of the Trust Deed by the then Mayor Yvonne Sharp, Councillors Sue Shepherd, Jack Katavich, Denis Bowman and Community Board member Colin Kitchen.

The Trust became a Council Controlled organisation (CCO) during the 2008/09 annual plan process to enable it to access funding streams that would not usually be available to it.

What is the purpose of the Te Ahu Charitable Trust

The Purpose of the Te Ahu Charitable Trust as per the Trust Deed is:

Providing, maintaining, resourcing and managing multi-purpose community facility buildings to be located In Kaitaia and intended to house a local museum, public library, visitor information centre and / or gallery and art display areas, for the benefit, use and enjoyment of the Kaitaia and surrounding communities.

What’s happening to the Far North Community Centre?

The existing Far North Community Centre including the little theatre and ancillary spaces and the hall will be refurbished and integrated into the facility.

The hall will be a true multi-functional, flexible space exactly the same size as that which is currently enjoyed. There will be no loss of space, due to adjustments made as the result of community input indicating the hall should remain the same size.

The Little Theatre will be upgraded, given a facelift, and have technology installed to improve the use and flexibility of the space with particular attention to acoustics, lighting, more storage and backstage preparation areas. The community centre will become Te Ahu’s backbone and will be recognised as such within the completed development.

What else will Te Ahu offer?

There will be a new library, museum, service centre, I site, technology centre, retail space, public meeting spaces, public toilets, including a comfortable, well appointed parents’ room, and ancillary rooms and spaces – all designed specifically for the uses intended and with the flexibility to grow as community needs grow. Several attractive active and passive outdoor spaces including a piazza for outdoor events and a children’s playground, will be enhanced by comprehensive landscaping around the perimeter.

Te Ahu is an ambitious project. What will it do for Kaitaia and the Far North?

Te Ahu's vision remains consistent as an innovative and vibrant community project that will provide an integrated experience that reflects the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the “real” Far North, confirm the Far North Regional Museum’s place as the lead museum for the district and add to Kaitaia’s important positioning as New Zealand’s northernmost town.

It will be a fantastic new community facility for Kaitaia. It will be transformational; a catalyst for revitalisation of the very Far North and the envy of many communities elsewhere in New Zealand.

What’s different about it?

The facility will bring together much that is unique about the Far North.

The point of difference will be the integrated experience which will strive to become the iconic cultural and whare taonga for the Far North’s Maori, Dalmatian and other European heritage.

These taonga will include the most precious collection of artefacts in New Zealand, given the Far North’s ranking as one of the nation’s most populated areas in pre Captain Cook times. Stories of Kupe are also held in the Far North, providing another strong linkage.

This, combined with documentation of the Dalmatian and other European contribution to the Far North, will create a rich and different visitor experience for locals, national and international audiences.

What about our other peoples?

Everyone has their place at Te Ahu. It will be an integrated facility for an integrated people – Maori, European, Dalmatian, and all other peoples. Together, they will give Te Ahu the point of difference it needs to position itself as a place of regional and national significance.

Why is it taking so long?

Actually, it’s not. This is a large-scale project of some complexity, involving different ethnicities and a number of Kaitaia-based community groups. There has been a lot to do in terms of setting up a Trust, selecting Trustees, the process of site selection (site specific reports e.g.: geotechnics), working with a number of possible tenants/organisations that may be based in Te Ahu, working alongside many community groups and organisations, holding hui, seeking funding, developing a business case, working-up design options and estimating costs. The Trust has also had to source appropriate professionals such as architects, and project and business management and funding skills as required.

How is Te Ahu being paid for?

The total cost of the project, including landscaping, is estimated to be around $15 million. Current funders include the ASB Community Trust, Kaitaia Community Forest Trust, and Far North District Council. Other potential funders have yet to be approached because of the need to have a definite concept plan in place first. If necessary, the development can be staged which will more evenly spread the cost.

Why did it take so long for proposed concept designs to be shown to the wider community i.e. late December 2008?

Projects of this nature take a lot of time to develop properly. The initial concepts came together and were presented to the whole Trust in November last year and to the community the following month. There was a delay in completing the designs as a result of the Trust agreeing to the community centre being included as part of the Te Ahu development. This was not part of the original plans and required changes to be made.

The Trust decided to go out to the community with the proposed concept design so that there was something to review and work from as a starting point. As a result of this, the community hall size has been retained and other issues are still being worked through.

It needs to be noted that the concept plans presented are just that - concept plans and not final plans.
These plans will be further developed over the coming months to incorporate a wide range of feedback.

How is it going to be funded operationally?

Operational Funding will be generated from leases and revenues of the component spaces - for example, the library, i-Site and service centre will pay rent, and income will be generated through retail sales.

Te Ahu is being designed as an efficient, multifunctional facility to get the best possible value for money through operational efficiencies that allow significant improvements to be made while keeping operating costs at current levels.

The community centre requires considerable work, the library is not able to meet the demands of modern library users, and both the i-SITE and library facilities are too small. The council-owned museum building also needs upgrading. and the service centre is made up of pre-fab units that require regular maintenance.

There will be a saving to ratepayers if these facilities are built as part of Te Ahu with funding from council and other sources, and operate as tenants within in a brand new, low maintenance, purpose built facility

Is there a Business Plan?

A draft business plan is being developed in tandem with the concept plans to match the project as it evolves through the visitor experience and design development stages.

When will Construction Start?

At this stage it is anticipated that the design process will continue through until spring 2009 with construction starting in summer 2009/10.

When will the facility open?

If construction starts late 2009/early 2010, it is expected that the facility will be completed and open in 2011, hopefully in time to make the most of the Rugby World Cup event.

Why is the Council Service Centre to become part of the complex?

Consolidation of all council facilities is sensible and financially responsible given the current location and age of the existing facilities located around the township and the cost of maintaining them. The inclusion of the Council service centre is practical and logical, providing the best option for council customers who will be able to access services from the one place. As noted, it will also boost the revenue Te Ahu receives from rentals because the service centre will be a tenant of the building and have a lease agreement with Te Ahu. The income received will assist in the overall operation costs of the new community facility.

Why use the Community Centre Site?

Three site options were fully considered after consulting and meeting with a number of community and business groups in July 2007. These were:

• Jaycee Park
• South Road (encompassing the Community Centre & Te Runanga o Te Rarawa site)
• Redan Road - corner of Commerce Street (encompassing the car park and FNDC Service Centre site)

Jaycee Park was rejected early, given the community's response to the importance of maintaining the open green space. Redan Road / Commerce Street site had some appeal but presented some significant issues, particularly around flooding and the limited scope to expand the facility to allow for future growth. South Road was the most preferred site because it allowed for future expansion and it quickly became apparent that a vision to create a single recreational, educational and cultural hub could be realised at that location. Also, it would develop the south end of town.

Why build a multifunctional, integrated facility and not just upgrade existing facilities?

Multifunctional, integrated facilities are a great way of delivering exceptional visitor experiences, offering outstanding customer service and making best use of resources. They also provide a focus for a community and can be the point of difference between one town and another.

Is it proposed to reduce the Hall Size?

No. Revised plans are currently being drawn which retain the existing hall size.

How is the Far North Regional Museum Involved?

The Far North Regional Museum Trust is a stakeholder in the Te Ahu Charitable Trust and has a representative on the Te Ahu Charitable Trust Board. The representative is currently Phil Cross, Chair of the Far North Regional Museum Trust.

How is Te Rarawa involved?

Te Rarawa is a stakeholder in the Te Ahu Charitable Trust and has a representative on the Te Ahu Charitable Trust Board. The representative is currently Kevin Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of Te Runanga o Te Rarawa.

In addition Te Rarawa is offering its land adjacent to the community centre site for use within the Te Ahu development.

What provision is there for youth?

It is envisaged that the new management of the multifunctional facility, working in conjunction with other agencies, will be able to organise activities spanning arts, education, technology, interactive learning experiences, culture and leisure. These could include: a climbing wall, play area, hang out areas, youth spaces, OSCAR programmes and theatre amongst other opportunities.

What will happen to the vacated facilities?

The Far North District Council will determine what happens to any of the council sites that are vacated by the current tenants as they move to the new Te Ahu Complex. This is not Te Ahu's decision.

What else could Te Ahu Offer?

It is envisaged that Te Ahu will have the ability to provide leading edge technology including the ability to beam in live concerts or events from around the world like a concert in Vienna, rock concert from Wembley or live lecture from Harvard.

Is there a Flood Risk?

While most of Kaitaia has a flood risk, flooding was considered by the Trust when evaluating the three sites.

Presentations

The Trustees are more than happy to talk with you or your organisation.

Please just contact us and arrange a time that suits.

Our contact details are:

Email info@teahu.org.nz
Phone 408 8406

Providing Feedback

The Trustees for the Te Ahu project would appreciate any feedback you wish to provide, positive and / or constructive comments.

Please download the feedback form (138kb PDF file)

Please note: To download a PDF file you will need a PDF reader installed on your computer. These are available free by download from websites such as Adobe or Foxit.