Trust board defended as heritage guardian
A succession of Palmerston North civic leaders dating back more than four decades have given the city council a comprehensive history lesson about Caccia Birch House.
Their clear message was, leave its dedicated trust board in charge of it, because the council and its staff could not look after the city’s only Category 1 historic homestead so well.
The council has received 104 submissions on its proposal to bring management of the function venue in-house, with 78 per cent of them opposed.
Those who came to speak to their submissions at an arts, culture and heritage committee hearing included former mayor Paul Rieger, former deputy mayor John Hornblow, former city councillors Heather Allan and Annette Nixon, and long-serving Regent Theatre trust boardmember Susan Mcconachy. Each one disputed the capacity of the council and its frequently-changing staff to bring the institutional knowledge, time, energy and care needed to the task of enhancing the homestead’s values.
Allan said the city council bought the run-down property from the Crown for 10 cents in 1984. ‘‘It was the best deal this council has ever had.’’
She said the whole purpose of setting up a trust board in 1991 was to keep the property’s restoration and management separate from the council, to be used and enjoyed by the community. ‘‘The board and management took this old wreck of a building, and turned it into a unique, boutique building quite different to anything else the council owns.’’ She said there was no good reason to do away with the trust for the sake of ‘‘a theoretical, unjustified and paltry $23,000 saving’’.
Allan said it was widely acknowledged that the future of heritage buildings wasmuch safer when they were governed by community interests.
Hornblow said the council staff report recommending council management would be more efficient, effective and appropriate was inadequate and lacking balance. He said the weaknesses with council staff management of an asset like Caccia Birch was that institutional knowledge was lost with staff changes, they had limited passion for the property, lacked focus, and often lacked connection to the community.
The committee will deliberate on the submissions on May 5.