Tauranga City Council will put $10,000 towards setting up a big screen on The Strand where the community can watch the closing stages of the Rugby World Cup, but the bar owner who started it all, doesn't think he will bother.
The council decision means he could be facing thousands of dollars in costs in addition to the screen hire De Bier Haus proprietor Matt Hayward originally volunteered to pay for.
Following public pressure the council held a meeting last Monday to discuss the options for placing a large screen on The Strand
At the meeting Matt offered to pay for the hire of a 6x4m screen to go on The Strand near Devonport Road where it can be viewed by his patrons.
He says that will cost about $8500.
At today's extraordinary council meeting, the council offered to put up $10,000 to go towards what its own staff estimates to be $11,000-$12,000 required to bring the site up to the standard required.
The council's venues and events manager, Dale Henderson, says The Strand venues all have similar issues regarding proximity to the water, people in the rail corridor, intoxicated people and crowd size.
Costs for a major event will require about $2,700 to fence off the rail line over two weekends, plus the costs of extra toilets and security.
The offer to the council from De Bier Haus is only for a single screen at the southern end of The Strand.
De Bier House offered to pay for the screen hire, the feed and the antenna.
Following his offer last Monday, councillors were today presented with a staff report containing five options for venues that include three on The Strand and others at the Wharepai Doman and TECT Arena at Baypark.
The $10,000 offer was the second attempt to get something moving.
Terry Molloy's motion that the council approve an option involving three smaller big screens at The Strand intersections failed to gain traction.
Councillors supported David Stewart's motion that the council support the efforts of the bars to provide their own entertainment.
If The Strand venture does not proceed, businesses in Greerton or Mount Maunganui can use the $10,000.
Speaking after the meeting Matt says he's no longer thinking of the 6x4m big screen.
'If we do something it's going to be really small,” says Matt.
'I just spoke with Riki (Syndicate owner) and we are going to try and put something together, but it's looking like something pretty small.
'But if council's money's there we will try and put on something decent.”
20 comments
are you kidding
Posted on 03-10-2011 15:43 | By jimmi
I thought the Council had been told in no un certain terms, not to use rate payers money for this event. Now as usual a u turn has occurred. Do they actually think they are going to come out of this debacle smelling like roses, or are they trying to deflect anyone from digging deeper on the actual reason why there are no games in this town, ie The Town/Crosby purchase of Bay Park. Many comments have been made by myself and others, that this is a commercial problem and TCC should leave it as such, I wonder also who will be footing the bill for security and cleaning up, guess the ratepayer as well, and is that included in the estimate, or as in many other cases, the true extent of costs will never be known. The Council is a joke, and is the laughing stock of the rest of the country.
Think outside the square!
Posted on 03-10-2011 15:51 | By www.eol.co.nz
Has anyone looked at using a projector onto a large PVC covered plywood screen. Given that most of the 'BIG' games are on when it's dark a good quality and much larger image would be possible for a fraction of the cost of an active screen.
The $10,000 ...
Posted on 03-10-2011 16:17 | By Murray.Guy
The $10,000 ratepayer contribution was a maximum and only to support the provision of a 'big screen' by and individual or entity external to Council after a 'proven' community need was established. The support is not limited to an initiative on the Strand, and could be from anywhere within the city. Personally, I think the best community outcome could be achieved by TCVL at the new TECT Arena - No train, toilet, weather, security or waterfront issues! Perhaps the EOL PVC and projector option may be a good investment for TCAL for this and other uses?
TRUCK HIRE
Posted on 03-10-2011 16:36 | By PLONKER
Just get a truck with a white side on it and use a projector. No security needed as the truck just drives away afterwards. Cost estimate $300 (max)
jimmi
Posted on 03-10-2011 16:42 | By DRich
There has been no u-turn, rather a reduction in potential council input: jump back and read Becks' and Murray Guy's clarifications on the other discussion: council was always pegged as the major contributor on this one, though they seem to have removed some of the 'paper costs' i think becks referred to. Personally i'm over it all and if they end up appropriating the pro-rata 50c or so of my rates for this i will not care.
Drich
Posted on 03-10-2011 17:08 | By jimmi
The point has always been, that it is a commercial venture for bars on the Strand, and as such, they can live or die by thier convictions, it is not a rate payers problem to pay for something that is beneficial to them and here was I thinking this had all been outlined in the publics opinion. TCC just signs the paperwork, let the people that want it pay for it, the risk is of thier own making. yep I am over the entire thing, the "tron" was pumping yesterday though, and what could have been for Tauranga, because of ineptitude, we will never now know.
Waste
Posted on 03-10-2011 17:52 | By dgk
Seems like a complete waste of money to provide something that can't be advertised to residents due to RWC restrictions.....would've been better if all the local businesses got together years ago to sort out something decent.
Coucil manufactured CUSTARD
Posted on 03-10-2011 19:24 | By The Tomahawk Kid
Private enterprise gather the ingredients. Put it through the COUNCIL Blender. RESULT CUSTARD!
Lets all go to the TECT arena and do it there!!
Posted on 03-10-2011 20:47 | By the_fourth_estate
Oddly enough I find myself concurring with Mr Guy on this one. I believe that setting up a Fanzone at the Tect arena or Baypark was part of the original proposal that the council turned down. TECT Arena is a great venue I watched the basketball there a couple of weeks ago and it will be a perfect and easy to manage environment. All with the added benefit of no annoying drunks around to cause problems. Lets do it!!
LOST FORWARD.
Posted on 03-10-2011 22:28 | By slueth
The council have already lost , if only they had put a little more forward planning. whatever they do its too little too late.It must of been a little embarrasing when the Prime Minister was here and he wanted to pop down to our fanzone to shake a few hands. When will the Council actually admit they dropped the Ball and maybe a bit more effort should of been put in to get Games here. When will they realise that the World Cup isn't Even about Rugby. Its about bringing communities together making them stronger, tourism, festvals etc but most of all its FUN.
Outcome
Posted on 03-10-2011 23:16 | By Becks
I think the outcome is better than nothing! Yes perhaps the tect arena and other options would of been more user friendly no arguement there, but there was no plan in place and thats why I am supporting (yes a very bias view of course) the strand! By all means the tect arena is a great idea but its too late in the peace for this hence Matt's move to try and get something rolling. Looking at it from a community involvement and nothing being organised at the new TECT arena, domain, and baycourt someone had to voice up. And all be it only $10,000 to help in this at least some sort of fan zone and environment can be created! Thats a reasonable outcome! :-) Go the AB's!
THE CUSTARD IS
Posted on 03-10-2011 23:40 | By YOGI
@ Tommy Hawk Kid, I agree the "MIDUS" touch at TCC is it, but rather than gold it is custard and it has the look of a thick and gooy "RED" debt that there is no escape from as the end result!
Typically Tauranga
Posted on 04-10-2011 07:10 | By tmc
No planning, everyones still debating and we are halfway through the tournament. The Tect Arena is available and I'm sure Eol will help with a projector and makeshift screen, how hard can that be. As for letting people know about it, between SunLive and The Weekend Sun they have the population covered! Forget the strand, its too late.
RWC funding
Posted on 04-10-2011 08:01 | By DRich
So, the other newspaper 'confirms' the existence of a 35,000-40,000 surplus from money received by Tauranga for being a 'host' city-more than enough money there so as not to dip into rates at all-murray guy, is there substance to this? If so, what is council hanging onto the money for.
YES NO STOP GO WHATS THE HAP THEN?
Posted on 04-10-2011 09:13 | By Hebegeebies
Cr Moultrie floats the super plan to stump up with $50000 provided by TCC hapless ratepayers on a big TV Screen splurge 4 RWC and predictably has no sane takers. Cr Molloy then jumps in with a 3 Large Screen option one at each end of the Strand and one in the middle which is as gormless as it but sounds still no takers. Finally up steps Deputy Mayor Stewart with his compromise $10000 freebie bit of madness which squeezes through the madhouse TCC system.How it will apply is the question. No doubt all and sundry will dive into the honey pot and get what they can rip out of it without fronting with any cash themselves.To think the combined brain power of TCC Councillors and staff(granted that's not much) has been fixated with this for the past couple of weeks all at our expense while the important stuff is sidelined.It is Ratz Artz territory!!
Bring it on!!!
Posted on 04-10-2011 09:40 | By Bruja
Bring on the Big Screen!!! I for one am embarassed to live in Tauranga during this RWC. Have visitors from Florida and Scotland and the best we can do is a few flags around the place. Bring on the screen!!! We'll be there to support it :)
The root cause of it all
Posted on 04-10-2011 10:13 | By SpeakUp
At the core of this debacle (and many other public events) lie the oppressive local and central government instigated regulations, official procedures, requirements, rules, standards and restrictions which serve predominantly the class of self-serving governing bureaucracy. Remember when the PEOPLE were ‘allowed' to be self-reliant and sovereign in their quest to gather for communal activities. The bureaucratic machine has fatally taken advantage of ‘safety' concerns and has public initiative forced into obedience and compliance to parasitic officialdom. It's the old old story: governance is killing enterprise. Bureaucracy is permeated and perverted by a crowd of overbearing, often unemployable, affable know-it-alls, good-doers and sticky-beaks, obsessed to tell others how to live while helping themselves to your hard work and earnings. Psychopaths ought to be in institutions but not in governing roles. This country is suffocating under its bureaucracy. Liberty and personal sovereignty have been seized to feed a system of leeches.
Money grows on trees or drops from the sky then ?
Posted on 04-10-2011 10:18 | By Scambuster
DRich ++++ For heavens sake where do you think the money $100000 plus came from in the first place not the NZ Govt. not the RWC slush fund yes I can hear the penny starting to drop it was the TCC ratepayers money and any surplus funds are theirs pay and it back into the coffers.
Spot on
Posted on 04-10-2011 10:46 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
The council have made the right decision this time.Interesting to note the reasons Dale Henderson,boss of the fastest growing department in council,being the Events Dept,used the danger in the area as the main reason to not to have the big screen on the Strand.Councillors should also take note when talking of removing the car parks from the Waterfront and turning the area into a park and playground.Maybe Duarne Lanksheer could also take notice of Dale and leave the waterfront as a car park and put this money into free parking instead.
NO GUTS OR INNOVATION
Posted on 04-10-2011 20:00 | By RORTSCAM
Could have gone for a giant TV screen on top of Mauao which may have been viewed from everywhere 365days 24/7 .Bit like Sugarloaf and Christ figure in Rio de Janiero.Sound might have been a problem but hey give everyone their own transponders because money is no object t0o TCC. Could even have viewed TV while lounging in 3rd world MOUNT HOTPOOLS
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