The Tauranga City Council called on Graeme Purches to help investigate and advise on the controversial museum proposal.

He was part of the steering group that came up with a site and a plan to make the museum work. But five years later the proposal remains stalled and the servant has turned on his masters.

A museum right here on Cliff Road please? Graeme Purches of the museum steering group. Picture by Tracy Hardy.

Graeme says the city's 'current crop of hand-sitting elected representatives” should be held accountable by ratepayers.

'Keep track of what councillors are saying and not doing, and make appropriate decisions at the ballot box next year.”

He has singled out the mayor for special mention. Graeme says Stuart Crosby's suggestion the museum be in the CBD had the effect of 'destroying the project before it even started”.

'So much for his ‘vision' for the city,” says Graeme.

Graeme spent a year helping research the museum proposal, possible sites, design and funding opportunities. The steering group included Mayor Stuart Crosby.

That was five years ago and now Graeme has 'had enough”.

'We need to get on with it. We need to create an infrastructure appropriate for a city of Tauranga's size and status. There needs to be significant change or Tauranga will drift into big city pretence and small village reality. And this lot seem hell bent on doing that.

'It's a shame that the museum has been allowed to drag on over two election cycles during which time costs have increased significantly and we are getting nowhere fast.”

The museum steering group evaluated 17 sites, delivered a report to council short-listing three and recommending one: Cliff Road.

Cliff Road was preferred because the land is owned by council, it's part of a historic precinct including the Elms and the redoubt, and it had commanding views which offered other income opportunities such as a restaurant. It was also suggested the art gallery be re-sited there to share overheads, also providing a cultural experience to attract paying visitors and stop bleeding tourists to Rotorua.

'But here we are, midway through another term of office, and there's either memory loss or unwillingness because we are getting nowhere fast. Half a decade has been wasted by this council and its predecessors.”

SunLive asked the Tauranga City Council if and when it would act on the steering group recommendations.

The council says it set up the Tauranga Moana Museum Trust to do the job and 'to foster community support, to plan, fund, build and operate a museum.”

But Graeme says the trust isn't doing its job.

'Instead of progressing the recommendations of the steering group study, it has been looking at alternative sites at the Mount.”

The council says it will 'continue to engage with the trust to determine an appropriate way forward.” But Graeme believes the trust hasn't delivered and the council needs to set up a trust that will.

But any support for the museum proposal is conditional on 'the feasibility and the business case”.

The council committed $100,000 to the trust to assist its resource consent costs. Then it was withdrawn. The trust also asked the council for another $100,000 for an independent feasibility study and a project development officer. That was declined.

However, Graeme says the council was right in deciding against spending $40,000 on another survey to gauge ratepayer's appetite for a museum.

'We know more than 50 per cent of people want a museum, but they just don't want to pay for it. That's a given. But that $40,000 would best be spent educating ratepayers on the steering group feasibility plan for the museum.”

The plan addresses ratepayer concerns and works like this: the council would provide the Cliff Road land, which it already owns, and resource consents. A museum trust would raise the funds needed to build and operate the museum. 'Ratepayers would contribute nothing more than the $470,000 they pay now each year for storing a collection no-one can see.”

Graeme wonders if museum proposal knockers have actually seen what's in the Tauranga Heritage Collection, where the city's museum artefacts being held in storage at a Mt Maunganui warehouse.

'This lot [the council] are starting to peeve me off. They appear to be driven by letters to the editor, anonymous blogs, failed politicians and others who've done nothing for our city except moan and push their own empty little barrows with no consideration for the big picture.”

Graeme says he's been told by a councillor that they are still keen on the museum proposal. 'Well, you wouldn't think so. Why won't they stick their heads up?”