Katikati Heritage Museum is holding a public meeting today to explain to Western Bay ratepayers its financial position – either it receives council funding or it closes.

Katikati Heritage Museum manager Paula Gaelic and volunteers want Western Bay council to save the facility via $65,000 of annual plan funding.

Museum manager Paula Gaelic is asking for $65,000 from Western Bay of Plenty District Council's 2014/2015 draft annual plan to cover the museum's mortgage and interest payments for 12 months.

She says its crunch time – 'without funding the museum will be gone”.

'Either we get agreement from council to help, or we shut the doors and lose the history of Katikati and the wider Bay of Plenty – we can't keep operating with no budget.”

This comes 18 months after WBOPDC went guarantor on a $550,000 bank loan to purchase the museum from Nancy and Ken Merriman – which Paula says sucks all financial resources each month, leaving nothing to progress or promote the facility.

Last week Katikati ratepayers bombarded Western Bay of Plenty District councillors with questions over why the council proposes funding the museum at a Tuesday night annual plan briefing.

Meeting chair Western Bay Deputy Mayor Gwenda Merriman urged ratepayers to attend Monday night's meeting, to educate the public on the museum and its financial position.

Paula says now's the time to set the record straight.

'I really want to get across to our ratepayers the purchase of the museum is history – the focus is now on our future.

'The meeting is a good opportunity for people to see what we're doing and what we've created – and that a lot of people now come here for a variety of reasons.

'If we had financial support, we wouldn't spend all our time scratching for money – instead we'd put the effort into progressing forward.”

Paula says people need to realise the museum is the only one in the Bay and holds hundreds of items relating to Katikati's Ulster Irish settlement; the only one worldwide.

In 18 months, with no financial budget, but thanks to the museum's 70-plus volunteers, daily visitor numbers have increased from 4.2 to 13.1 people, says Paula.

'We've definitely raised the museum's profile, we made changes; and I think we've created a better museum without taking away the hands-on part.”

Pointing to section 11A of the Local Government Act, which says in part: 'in performing its role, a local authority must have particular regard to the contribution that the following core services make to its community”, Paula says those core services include museums.

'For example, Napier District Council spends $3m annually on its museum, while Rotorua and Nelson councils spend $2m.”

Paula says she's a Western Bay ratepayer too, who also doesn't want rates to go up.

'When I presented at council, I asked them to pay the $550,000 mortgage from the Recreation and Leisure Budget; this year $7.3m has been allocated to it.

'If council assisted the museum from this allocated budget, there would have been no change to the rates.”

The council's draft annual plan, approved by councillors on March 20, is now out for public consultation until April 28.

The council proposes allocating $65,000 in the 2014/2015 year to the museum, stating it to be the second main issue for consultation in the draft plan.

At Tuesday night's meeting, Western Bay councillor Garry Webber said the council's proposing three funding options, to enable the museum to gain the $65,000.

Option one is to provide the funds two-thirds from the general rate and one-third from the Katikati Community Board rate. 'That will average $2 per property across the district and $5 per ratepayer in Katikati.”

Option two is fund it only from the Katikati Community Board rateable area. 'That will see a $15.51 increase in rates for Katikati people.”

Option three is gain the funds from the whole Western Bay district. 'That will be $3.20 per ratepayer district-wide.”

Paula says although the museum is located in Katikati, it represents the entire region, 'with George Vesey not only sending ship settlers to Katikati but also Te Puke”.

'The museum has potential but we just need a [financial] break.”

The public meeting is this Monday April 14, from 5.30pm, at the museum, Corner SH2 and Wharawhara Rd.