Hairy Maclary and his bronze statue friends could soon be set in stone after Tauranga City Council decided to waive Creative Tauranga's $150,000 bond needed to fund maintenance costs.

In an extraordinary meeting today councillors heatedly debated whether or not to waive the bond set out in the ownership and maintenance contract previously endorsed by council.

Creative Tauranga's Tracey Rudduck-Gudsell with a smaller version of the bronzed Hairy Maclary statue to be installed on the waterfront.

The $150,000 bond was outlined as part of the contract in Creative Tauranga's project to install nine bronzed statues of Hairy Maclary and his friends on Tauranga's waterfront.

Councillors voted 6-5 in favour of waiving the bond, with Mayor Stuart Crosby, Bill Grainger, Larry Baldock, Wayne Moutlrie, Terry Molloy and Tony Christiansen voting for it. Murray Guy, Bill Faulkner, David Stewart, Rich Curach and Catherine Stewart were opposed.

Council will contribute $50,000 towards the sculptures' installation, along with funding the operational costs and $750 per annum insurance costs from existing operational budgets with the waterfront project.

Council chief executive Garry Poole told council there are a number of options including the $50,000 Pilot Bay boardwalk surplus, which can be allocated to the installation part of the project if needed.

The change means Creative Tauranga does not need to front up with $150,000 before the statues can be installed by the children's playground.

The decision also means council and Creative Tauranga can now approach city partners and discuss options for the $100,000 required to install the nine sculptures.

So far Creative Tauranga has raised $300,000 in cash along with donations in kind towards the $552,000 project. It still has $250,000 to raise to fund the sculptural component of the project, although $200,000 of that amount has been underwritten by a benefactor in order that the statues be designed and cast.

Terry Molloy says the sculptures will be a welcome addition alongside the waterfront redevelopment in what he sees as an asset and an investment for the city.

'Hairy Maclary is an internationally renowned addition to the waterfront. This is not necessarily about Creative Tauranga or Hairy Maclary, it's actually about our city and the message that we send to the wider community; it is about our reputation and us growing up,” says Terry.

Wayne Moultrie agreed and pleaded with council to look forward, not back, when making a decision.

'It's time as a city we put the past behind us and moved on to the 21st Century. We need to come to grips at last with all the arts and all the shapes and forms and not been seen as medieval,” says Wayne.