Waikato Regional Theatre wins vote

There was a bit of niggle, voices raised, but in the end, a last-minute bid to scuttle the proposed Waikato Regional Theatre ended in a whimper.

Councillors began day two of deliberations on the Hamilton City Council’s draft long-term plan with a series of lengthy debates on proposed community infrastructure projects.

Key among them was a vote on whether to contribute up to $25 million of ratepayer money towards a new regional theatre.

It passed, but not before Councillor Garry Mallett, supported by Cr James Casson, argued for the proposal to be ditched.

Although the theatre proposal was a bold idea, it was unaffordable given the state of the council’s finances, Mallett said.

The draft long-term plan pitches two years of 9.5 per cent rates increases.

Cr Paula Southgate opposed Mallett’s move, but sought assurances from staff over whether upgrading the disused Founders Theatre was cost prohibitive.

Southgate also asked staff if they believed the proposed Victoria Street location for the new theatre would enable easy access for the public.

In response, senior staffer Sean Murray said he couldn’t be confident that Founders Theatre could be fixed for $30m.

Momentum Waikato, the trust which is managing the proposal, had taken a rigorous approach to assessing the suitability of the proposed theatre site, he said.

However, Murray’s responses were cut short by Mayor Andrew King, who asked him to keep his answers brief and not to rehash old information.

‘‘Don’t fluff it up,’’ King cautioned Murray.

King’s comments drew the ire of Cr Angela O’Leary, who asked the mayor to be respectful of staff.

Southgate said the demise of Founders had caused genuine sadness and blamed its closure on a lack of investment.

But the offer from Momentum to raise $48m toward a new theatre was too good to decline, she said.

Murray said Momentum planned to update councillors on the theatre proposal in June. The trust is expected to submit its final theatre plan in October.

The council is currently negotiating a memorandum of understanding with Momentum which will act as a precursor to a sign-off for a deed of funding.

Both documents will require approval from councillors.

Mallett’s motion was voted down 10 to 3, with only Cr Leo Tooman siding with Mallett and Casson.