Fale malae ‘part of solution’ for city waterfront

The Fale Malae Trust says it wants to ‘‘begin in earnest’’ working on design options for a venue on Wellington’s waterfront, with $20 million of funding already secured.

Trust chair Adrian Orr told Wellington City Council yesterday that Frank Kitts Park, which is also the proposed site for a planned Chinese Garden, was the ideal location for a fale malae.

The venue would provide an ‘‘internationally significant and unique space’’ to celebrate New Zealand’s Pacific identity through arts, culture, economic development and education, Orr said.

‘‘This would be a place of significant hui for the Pacific region,’’ Orr said. ‘‘We are convinced we can do this without interfering with any of the other plans or ideas for Frank Kitts Park.’’

The proposal comes as plans for a $40m-plus development of the waterfront park, including a Chinese Garden, continue to stall, with no funding allocated for the development in the council’s draft 10-year plan. Orr said the trust had identified a 1741-square-metre section where the venue could be located, on the site of the current carpark opposite Whairepo Lagoon. It would be a place to host Pacific region events on things like climate, welfare, health, trade and sustainability.

Orr acknowledged the seismic problems the trust would need to overcome to build the venue but said it had the money, patience and engineering expertise on board to overcome those problems.

Other sites explored by the trust, including one in Bunny St, were not suitable, he said.

‘‘We are absolutely confident that we are part of your solution, not an additional challenge.’’

The trust had already secured $10m funding commitments from central government and Victoria University, and had support for the project from the Pasifika community, mana whenua, and Pacific Island heads of mission, among others, Orr said.

‘‘We want to begin in earnest around the design phase for what this fale malae would look like.’’