Museum Levy To Be Considered In Kaikōura

Tuesday, 16 July 2024, 6:04 pm
Article: David Hill - Local Democracy Reporter

A museum levy may be considered to fund arts, culture and heritage in the Kaikōura district.

The option of a targeted rate was discussed at a recent Kaikōura District Council workshop as councillors considered how to support the Kaikōura Museum and the Mayfair Arts and Culture Centre.

For now, the two organisations are funded from the council’s discretionary grants fund, which is limited to $100,000 a year and is open to any local community organisation.

Chief executive Will Doughty said the council would need to consult on a targeted rate as part of annual plan or Long Term Plan process.

While the council had an obligation to fund the museum, it may need to consider a change to its strategic priorities to put more of focus on arts and culture.

‘‘It would need to become more of a strategic focus, whereas the museum could be more straight forward.’’

Funding the museum and the Mayfair separately would leave more funds available in the discretionary fund for community organisations, he said.

Deputy Mayor Julie Howden said the museum played a valuable role in the community in preserving the past and storing archives.

The councillors also discussed whether to revise the criteria for the discretionary fund.

Options included setting a limit of $10,000 for a single grant and whether to divide funds across different categories including sports, the arts and community organisations.

Councillor Howden said councillors tried to ‘‘cover all the bases’’ anyway.

It was also suggested a councillor be appointed to screen the applications, a role Cr Vicki Gulleford has been filling.

The Kaikōura Museum is run by the Kaikōura Historical Society and has been housed on the ground floor of the council building since November 2016.

The former Mayfair Theatre suffered extensive damage in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2016.

After extensive fundraising, it reopened in 2020 as an arts and culture centre, hosting art exhibitions and live shows, as well as movie screenings.

Staff will now bring a report to the August council meeting for councillors to consider ahead of next year’s annual plan process.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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