Naera Imrie

Tauranga at Large Candidate No to "museum over water"-a different site is preferable Lived in Tauranga since 1954 and been involved in issues such as Save the Town Hall and Harbourwatch team. Want to stop squandering of ratepayers' money Need more investigation into purchasing Bob Clarkson's stadium Believes in listening to Youth Forum ideas so that Tauranga is more youth friendly Conservationist e.g. Save the Sandhills in Papamoa against intense development... wedge-shaped urban development instead.

I think we need a museum but at another site and not at the cost of our harbourspace in the city and unnecessary high costs. No Council should have voted on the Stadium without seeing the books. They are like sharebrokers, betting with our money. Although Tauranga is a fast-growing city we do not need to leave huge debts to our future citizens.
The newly developed Strand frontage is pleasant during the day but a drunken mess at nights, being the greatest waster of police time in this city. We need to continue art and culture and make this a great place for young people. I attend St Peters' Church and believe in the old values of community spirit and philanthropy. If you vote for me and our team we can overturn some decisions and you will have a woman on Council who will listen to youth and the elderly and try and get Tauranga on track for being a "safe anchorage" once again.


Picture of Naera Imrie's Family. Naera is on the very right.


My Personal Achievements:

I have been on the Pillans Point School Council, Tauranga Cancer Support, Waikato Cancer Society Committee, Tauranga Regional Historical Society Secretary, Keep Tauranga Beautiful Committee, New Zealand First Chairman - Cherrywood Branch, Gardenwatch and Harbourwatch. University of Auckland Executive(Women's) Vice Chairman, Tauranga Women's Hockey Team, Bay of Plenty Women's hockey team, and University of Auckland Blue for hockey.

Museum Lacking Support

Dear Sir

Harbourwatch is an existing organisation that has as it's founding mission statement the "protection of the Tauranga Harbour."

The proposed museum site will take up space in our valuable waterfront in the CBD. Thousands of dollars have been spent by TDC in the do-up of the Strand so waterviews could be extended and the waterfronht enjoyed by people. The area is zoned for recreation under the Tauranga Harbour Management plan. The museum and the proposed Coronation Pier will be buidings that block these priceless views and will be the beginning of what could in the future be a kind of reclamation of the harbour.

Reclamation of the sea is a serious business. There have been rules about encroaching on the harbour for years, applying to private properties and public venues. The Yacht marina on the harbour was a start, and since, industrial expansion of the port has all but wrecked the harbour views we once had from the bridge. Now our Council is proposing a museum over the water regardless of ratepayers' views, 85% of whom are against this site.

Congratulations to those who have written letters of objection, notably Basil Kings. Maybe he and others could join Harbourwatch to help protect the harbour from ventures like these. Or will we let our remaining treasure to be built over? Drillings of the site before the museum site is voted on by the Council is arrogant in the extreme, spending dollars before the horse has even got into the stable. This is the front door of our city; the museum, can be built elsewhere.Come on people, exercise your democratic rights. A museum on the water will not help more people shop in the CBD, or may be an eyesore like the Art gallery building. What about parking, or will we be required to walk miles to see a few artifacts?

Yours faithfully

Naera Imrie

Tauranga Harbourwatch Incoprorated - OPEN LETTER

As there is huge public interest in the waterfront museum site, we have prepared space in next Friday’s Weekend Sun so as the answers may be published.

Question 1. Does the proposed figure of $23,500,000 include development costs for parking and other ancillary services?

Question 2. How is parking to be provided for the expected 2,200 visitors per day? Will a further car park be built in conjunction with, or before, the proposed waterfront museum is commissioned? Stage One of the Strand Redevelopment was meant to have been a Harrington St car park and six years later it has never been built. Would museum visitors be expected to pay to use this car park? Where might this car park be located? Its cost? And can you provide a commencement date for the building of it?

Question 3. TECT’s grants to various local organizations including Tauranga Harbourwatch have been severely cut for several years now because Baywave and other City Council projects are soaking up most of TECT’s yearly allocation of grants money. How much is TECT thinking of giving to 1.) Construction, and 2.) Yearly running costs of the proposed museum out over the water?

Question 4. What is the estimated annual cost to fund the running of the Waterfront Museum? Would you please publish breakdown figures of the running costs?

Question 5. All Election Candidates are stating that the proposed February 2008 Public Referendum be binding on the new councillors – is this your view?

Question 6. Mr. Stephen Town, the CEO of TCC has publicly promised that if the targeted external funding from Strategic City Partners, private donations, Mainstreet, Priority One, TECT, The Government, etc is not reached, the Waterfront Museum will not go ahead. Does the Museum Steering Committee rely upon this promise, knowing the same promise was given by the same man regarding Baywave? The external funding target was not met, yet Baywave went ahead.

Question 7. In view of Mr. Stephen Town’s above promise and that the external funding target may not be achievable, why has the project progressed so far? What are all the costs to date?

Question 8. The proposed out-over-the-water museum is built to withstand flooding from a tsunami of what height? (i.e. how high a wave?)

Question 9. Has the Tauranga Museum Steering Committee considered the cumulative double impact effect of not only a museum-out-over-the-water but also the Scarpens double storey-floating barge that is to replace Coronation Pier? Tauranga Harbourwatch believes the Wharf St view shaft will be totally ruined.

Question 10 (Cr Michael Jones of Western Bay District Council may wish to answer this question. Cr Jones of WESTERN BAY is the current chairperson of the TAURANGA Museum Steering Committee).

Mr. Colin Bidois, an ex Museum Steering Committee board member and also a former chairman states (“Western Bay Should Pay Too” – Weekend Sun, Friday 21st Sept) that Western Bay District Council needs also to contribute to the museum. Does the Museum Steering Committee agree and what committed promised figure of money, if any, has Western Bay District Council promised to 1.) Construction costs, and 2.) Annual operating costs?

Question 11. Why was the $1,800,000 Art Gallery full-and-final settlement broken?

Question 12. Would the two councillors consider re-introducing the Commercial Differential rate to help offset parking building and museum construction and running costs because of the many touted benefits to the CBD flowing from the downtown location of the museum?

Question 13. The Elms is a unique, A.1 national historical heritage site second only to the Waitangi Treaty House yet it struggles to attract $5 fee paying visitors. Tauranga Harbourwatch believes a free entry $23,500 000 museum downtown would further hinder the Elms worthy attempt to display this wonderful city asset and national treasure. Has the Tauranga Museum Steering given serious consideration to this problem and thought of a possible solution?

Thanking you in anticipation for your reply as information is of vital interest to those voting in the coming elections.

Naera Imrie,
TAURANGA HARBOURWATCH INC.