Artisans want Cargo Shed back

They have been sent packing but the stall holders want their Cargo Shed back. At least until the end of the cruise liner season in April.

'It's not what the Tauranga City Council did, it's how it went about it,” says Brenda Butler, former manager of the arts collective at the Cargo Shed on Dive Crescent.


Disgruntled former stall holders at The Cargo Shed Brenda Butler, Scott Godwin, Colleen Killeen and Ken Wright.

There may be a solution for this arts collective, but not immediately, not in time or a busy summer's trading, but possibly after the middle of next year when the long term future of the shed considered.

As a permanent stallholder at the Cargo Shed arts market for 10 years she says she wants Tauranga to know why the arts markets closed.

More importantly she wants to make a pitch to have it re-opened.

That's not going to happen though, not immediately, not in time for the arrival of the cruise ships, not in time for the tourists with money to spend and no arts market to spend it on.

'We no sooner signed a new monthly instead of yearly lease than we were evicted,” says Brenda. The painters, photographers, wood turners and carvers, 40 artisans in all, were out, homeless.

Brenda says the arts market spent $20,000 setting up the Cargo Shed. 'And we paid rent and 10 percent of profits back into council coffers. We paid rates, power, water, insurance, security, cleaning and maintenance.”

The market according to Brenda was completely self sufficient.

'No council nor ratepayer input.

"The root of the problem, it seems, is a dodgy seawall. 'We were told the wall alongside us was a category 5 danger, the worst. But none of our neighbours on the waterfront seem to be affected.”

The work is scheduled for this month and will be concluded by mid-2017, after the cruise ships have gone for the season.

'The work needs to be completed as soon as possible and cannot be delayed,” says Aimee Driscoll, Tauranga City Council communications manager.

Last week the council advertised for tenders for construction of a rock wall for erosion protection in front of the cargo shed and along Dive Crescent. And to ensure any artwork or property stored isn't damaged by the proposed works the council asked tenants to vacate.

'We have worked hard to minimise disruption,” says Aimee.

”However, the works may impact use and access to the Cargo Shed,”

'We have been advertising all winter, we are coming up to our busy time,” says Brenda Butler.

'Why couldn't the council wait until April when the ships stop? Why couldn't they do the work during winter?”

Just this week a bus tour operator telephone Brenda wanting to know where they would be operating from. 'They are setting up tours now.”

The council did offer a carrot. The market could come back to the Cargo Shed but the goalposts had moved.

'Council does wish to offer tenants the ability to use the Cargo Shed between 9am and 3pm on Saturday and Sunday,” said a council letter to stallholders. That's when there would be no work on the seawall.

'This will be on a week by week basis charged at $37.90 + GST per hour.” And they would have to pack in and out of the venue each weekend.

'Impossible. Unworkable,” says Brenda. 'If you have been to the market you would understand that is simply impractical.”

And the council indicated 'it may enable other entities …to use the premises during the time that construction works are being undertaken…”

So the arts market didn't have guaranteed on going tenure, not on the basis they wanted.

'All this has happened right at the summer tour season and we are very unhappy,” says Brenda.

'We have been a draw card for local and international tourists because of our New Zealand produced goods. It's a sad loss for tourism in this town.”

Tauranga City Council also offered the market a vacant shop in Willow Street at the same rent as their old lease and $15,000 worth of advertising.

'A lot of the charm and lure of the Art Market was its appearance and location,” says Brenda.

'We didn't believe an empty shop beside a nightclub with no parking would have quite the same appeal for tourists. Can you imagine the street mess we would have to clean up every morning?

There is also an issue of ownership. No-one has title to the land the Cargo Shed sits on.

The council and the Otamataha Trust plan to become joint owners and that needs to be ticked off by Government.

Once that's sorted the council and the trust could look at long term options for the Cargo Shed and the land around it …including the proposed Fisherman's Wharf proposal.

The Tauranga City Council says once the work is completed, the long term future of the Cargo Shed will be considered. But that could be with or without the arts market.

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11 comments

shed

Posted on 30-09-2016 08:25 | By dumbkof2

yes let them have their shed so they can sell their overpriced inferior goods to the unsuspecting tourists


No Ownership

Posted on 30-09-2016 08:32 | By flyingtoaster

At this time there is no owner of the property. What right does the council have to charge rent on a property that is not owned by anyone?


Sad

Posted on 30-09-2016 09:57 | By waiknot

I don't have any view on the cargo shed. But to hear the council has been less than upfront in its dealings shouldn't surprise anyone.


Good reasons

Posted on 30-09-2016 11:16 | By Crash test dummies

For them to be concerned about how Council went about this, terrible. You would think for a start that they would have remained for the Cruise season at least. But that would be sensible cant have that now can we.


Interesting?

Posted on 30-09-2016 11:38 | By BullShtAlert

How is is that some businesses selling to the public have to pay market rents, rates, insurances etc but others get special favour rents? Doesn't seem that fair to me anyway.


Hidden agenda!

Posted on 30-09-2016 12:26 | By Mackka

The Council have a secret agenda here - not prepared to front it yet!! Watch this space!


Flying toaster

Posted on 30-09-2016 12:58 | By Raewyn

You got that right


Really?

Posted on 30-09-2016 14:41 | By The King

It looks to me like the Council has given you a heap of options but you are still complaining! You were on a month to month lease so they didn't break any agreements and they have also offered you another space plus 15k worth of ratepayers money to get going again. (Seems very generous!) They also offered the chance to use space on a day to day basis but that appears to be too difficult. The word "ungrateful" springs to mind. The cargo shed is an awesome space and I hope that in the future it will be used for the entire communities benefit not just a very small group of people who only open the doors when they see the opportunity for a quick cash grab from tourists


Greedy

Posted on 30-09-2016 14:45 | By Red Planet

Sorry, but the 'artisans' appear to be a tad unreasonable. What other businesses get offered an alternate location and $15,000 of ratepayers money?! Time to move on people. The monthly terms were upfront, AND why can't you sent up shop on a daily basis like any other artisan?! Greedy and lazy?


Really

Posted on 30-09-2016 18:54 | By Dazed and Confused

Come on People theses tin pot operations add to the city they are important to the buzzz of a city They cost sweet FA to TCC and the people trading from there arn't making a fortune from selling their trinkets.And realy what the hell else is a tourist to do in the CBD?


Questions

Posted on 01-10-2016 13:51 | By Accountable

Businesses in the CBD pay up to eight hundred dollars a square meter plus six thousand dollars or more in rates for 200 sq/m of retail space, plus power, water, telephone and cleaning without any parking for cars or buses.I think that the Cargo Shed operators should now front up with a true breakdown of their costs for a comparison for the ratepayer to see the true story.


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