6 August 2026: Local government reforms, Council art collection

Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: Local government reforms Head Start proposal

Enquiry

I am attending a BOPRC meeting today where they are expected to be fairly critical of the BOP Head Start proposal.

In particular, for Rotorua, they appear to have concerns about the financial implications.

Was hoping to get some comment from you on the following, with a quick turnaround if possible, as we are looking to report on the meeting today.

Questions below...

• A previous RLC report says Bay of Plenty Regional Council spends about $9.3 million more in Rotorua than it collects from Rotorua ratepayers. If Rotorua moves into a sub-regional unitary authority, who picks up that cost?
• The report says larger urban centres currently cross-subsidise smaller districts through regional functions. Can you guarantee Rotorua ratepayers won't face higher costs under a three-unitary-authority model?
• Is there any modelling which shows Rotorua won't be worse off financially when regional council functions are split among smaller unitary authorities?

Response

From Rotorua Mayor, Tania Tapsell:

“I appreciate this is a challenging time for regional councillors, however I’m excited about the opportunity for a Rotorua unitary authority to take responsibility for regional functions and deliver them more efficiently.

“It’s time for change and I’m confident that bringing local and regional functions together will create opportunities to reduce duplication, find savings and deliver better outcomes that our community can see and benefit from.

“Based on the work we’ve been able to do over the past three months, we believe our outline proposal for Head Start does deliver a financially sustainable plan for Rotorua.

“We’ve also been clear that the timeframes and information available has not allowed for full financial due diligence at this initial stage. If the proposal is accepted in principle, further detailed analysis will be required to understand how regional functions can be funded and delivered in a way that ensures the best outcomes for Rotorua before any final reorganisation decisions are made.”

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: Council art collection

Enquiry

I have seen some press around Council and art collections recently, including an interview the Mayor conducted with Newstalk.

I was hoping to follow up with some qs of my own for the council.

A breakdown of council’s art collection?

• How many works are in the collection?
• How many are owned by the council?
• How many are owned by trusts or other parties but stored by the council?

Which trust (or trusts) own the Goldie paintings Mayor Tania Tapsell referred to, and how many Goldie works are involved?

What is the current estimated value of:

• The council-owned collection; and
• Any privately owned collections stored by the council?

What does it cost the council each year to:

• Insure the collection.
• Store the collection; and
• Conserve or maintain it

Does the council have agreements with trusts or other owners regarding storage and insurance costs? If so, who pays for what?

How long has the collection been in storage, and why is it not currently on public display?

Has the council previously considered:

• Displaying more of the collection elsewhere;
• Transferring works to another institution; or
• Disposing of any works? If so, what was the outcome?

Does the council intend to carry out the review the mayor referred to? If so, when is it expected to begin, and what will it cover?

Response

From Group Manager – Community Experience, Alex Wilson:

Any future decisions about how we manage, display, store or invest in community assets, including the art collection, would be considered as part of the next long-term plan. Work on developing the long-term plan will help elected members make informed decisions about future investment and services. At this stage, we have not commissioned a standalone review of our art collection.

Council has 2,878 works of art in its collection, 1,526 of which are donated and 348 that are owned by other parties but stored by the council.

Re who owns the Goldie paintings and how many there are: Lender information is confidential.

The current estimated value of the council-owned collection is $13.66 million with works that were gifted accounting for $6.9 million of that. The privately owned collections stored by council which are owned by multiple lenders and are estimated to be valued at $7.9 million in total.

Breakdown of insurance, storage, conservation and maintenance costs per year;

• Insurance $25,343
• Storage $288,627
• Maintenance/conservation costs $5,000

Council pays for insurance and storage on the bases that the public has access to the taonga and works of art.

The collection has not been on display since 2016 due to required earthquake strengthening of the Rotorua Museum which is scheduled to re-open in 2028.

We have considered several options to display more of the collection elsewhere. However, the cost of the security and environmental control standards that are required was prohibitive.

The museum has ongoing loan arrangements with multiple institutions on all of the art collection.

Regarding consideration of disposing of pieces of art: Like most museums, we have a deaccessioning policy and this is an ongoing process.