Tropical Plant House debate heats up

'We just have to take on these guys that want to smash everything.”

'These guys” being elements of Tauranga City Council, who just might want to tear down the Tropical Plant House in Cliff Road to save $100,000 a year.


Drawing a line in the soil – Ken Evans' fight to save the tropical plants. Photo: Chris Callinan.

And 'taking them on” is ratepayer Ken Evans – by his own admission a seasoned scrapper with TCC.

In this instance Ken is annoyed 'in terms of what Tauranga had and what it's lost”.

'I have been involved with service clubs over the years and building things for the city,” he says.

'But I won't do it again because every time we build something, the council destroys it.”

And now the wrecking ball is swinging over the Tropical Plant House.

A case in point is the old Tauranga Town Hall. 'We had a beautiful old Town Hall,” says Ken, 'a majestic old Town Hall with steps up from Willow Street and pillars and lovely doors.

'Then one day we woke to pneumatic drills and sledge hammers.”

The council of the day deemed it to be a leaker, so it had to come down.

'Yes, well they replaced it with a brand new council building with a carpark on top and from day one it's leaked. From day bloody one!” he adds.

Ken, a slight, affable guy with a big attitude, says: 'It's early days in my fight for the Tropical Display House – but we will gather forces and call ourselves Friends of the Begonia Garden or something.”

That probably won't strike fear into the heart of a council mandated to save money, but already a crack has appeared.

TCC councillor Catherine Stewart has called Ken with her support. They are now an army of two.

She's staggered the future of the Tropical House is even on the agenda.

'It was an issue a year ago,” says Catherine. 'I proposed it should be saved and that was supported.

'The community has not asked to be rid of this facility, so why is it coming before us again?”

Perhaps because it's about bucks, not begonias.

TCC councillor Steve Morris apparently doesn't think the $100,000 to keep the house open is good use of funds.

Fellow councillor John Robson wants consultation because the election had been fought around managing costs, and councillor Matt Cowley doesn't see the value of the gardens in 2015.

Catherine sees it differently. It's part of the city's historic walking track, and it's in all the brochures.

It's a pivotal part of being a city. And it's a red herring when council should be focused on the bigger picture – like a 10-year plan.

Ken brings the debate back to the record of successive councils.

The Harvard aeroplane, which was a centrepiece at the Memorial Park children's playground – 'gone!”

The fountain at Memorial Park left to rack and ruin by council and only saved by a bequest.

The Mount Maunganui Sound shell – 'bomb-proof but destroyed”.

Tauranga soundshell – 'gone”.

The cannon on Monmouth Redoubt – 'gone”.

The wharf on the end of Wharf Street – 'gone – but it cost more to destroy than to fix”.

And now the Tropical display house.

The future of the tropical garden could come down to signatures. Because only two people sign the visitors' book each day.

Ken and Catherine are in unison. 'That is no indication of the numbers actually enjoying this delightful, quiet, private retreat on the fringe of the CBD,” says Catherine.

They come, they see but they don't sign it seems.

One option is for TCC to flick the problem on and hand it over to volunteers to run on a user-pays basis. 'A dollar a head wouldn't be too much to ask for such a pleasure,” says Ken.

The first volleys in Ken's battle to save the Tropical Plant House have been fired.

You may also like....

29 comments

Does anyone see the irony?

Posted on 05-02-2015 10:20 | By BullShtAlert

From what I read and think, the likes of Ken and Cr Catherine are usually agin things. In my opinion they don't seem to want ratepayers money spent on many things. But when it comes to things they like, it seems to be a different story. Suddenly the Tropical House must be kept. Well Ken and Catherine should set up the volunteers and collect the dollar a head and keep the place running. Its called practicing what you preach. Of course Cr Catherine could simply move ratepayers funds be used to keep paying for it. She could also do the same for the Village. Then she could continue voting against money for things she doesn't appreciate so that she can somehow claim to be saving ratepayers money? I note she voted at one stage against the Greerton library improvement. Perhaps plants are more important than education?


Sounds Expensive to me

Posted on 05-02-2015 10:59 | By Spy

That is $250 per day, I would like to see a breakdown of the so called "costs"


Go Ken...

Posted on 05-02-2015 11:09 | By chancer

A garden group volunteer, school project, maintenance by the guys @ The Shed ... TCC staff tend to the Rose Garden, why not the Tropical Plant House as well ???


A Collection Box

Posted on 05-02-2015 11:44 | By The author of this comment has been removed.

Perhaps a secure collection box at the Tropical Plant House to collect funds to fight the naysayers might help? Also remember the "plant ship" on the Strand? An icon - also gone.


Here we go again

Posted on 05-02-2015 11:48 | By How about this view!

ONE or TWO squeaky wheels with nothing better to do with their time than spend ratepayers money! For goodness sake, $100,000 a year to keep a few plants that most residents have never and probably will never see, or want to see. I KNOW (Having visited on a number of occasions over the years) that there is a huge problem with rotting timbers throughout the house and I had expected the whole site to collapse under the weight of the glass and filler at some stage in a storm. We urgently need to GET REAL and stop the hemorrhaging of financial resources to prop-up the feel-good factor for one or two complainers. I know that Tauranga is seen as a large retirement village by many parts of the country and this sort of non-sense only goes to reinforce that opinion with a great many working ratepayers.


Thank you ...

Posted on 05-02-2015 12:25 | By Murray.Guy

Thank you Ned nicely (former TCC staffer Parks and Reserves), Ken Evans, Catherine Stewart and the many many others that are appalled at the fact TCC and it's elected members even have this facility in it's sights! It certainly tells us a lot about the present elected members.


plant house

Posted on 05-02-2015 14:49 | By spoilerfactory

I agree the costs are very high, maybe a garden club could put in a bid for half of the cost and have a good fundraiser


Obvious why...

Posted on 05-02-2015 16:59 | By jed

"TCC staff costs have rocketed 80 per cent in the past nine years to reach nearly $39 million.". What staff are they hiring? Safety inspectors and swimming pool administrators largely.Is tauranga any safer than a few years ago? "Four of the proposed new jobs were linked to managing growth ". What?Does this mean there was no growth management a couple of years ago? Once again, people voted crosby so don't moan when this stuff happens.


It's the age thing,

Posted on 05-02-2015 17:16 | By nerak

I see it's the three young fellas on council that have also made comments, and of them only John Robson at least wants consultation. One day, these men might just enjoy a stroll in the park, and a wander through a hot house filled with beautiful flowers. By then, of course, they will have to travel out of Tauranga to do that, because there will be nothing of beauty left in this city to look at. The wee floral boat on the strand was such a picture. Surely the 'smart' people we voted to council can come up with a resolution to keep everyone happy, or is that all just too hard? Running a city is not about being perceived to be 'smart', it is about being smart, and listening to the people. If they don't listen to the people, they had better listen to the clock, it is ticking


Begonia House

Posted on 05-02-2015 18:30 | By peter pan

We also had a bird house by the Begonia house which was a great place to take the kids to see our native birds.We as ratepayers subsidise the pools,parks and reserve surf clubs and many other non profit making venues.Evan though i don't use any of the above venues I think the council must help them,its part of being a city. Just think what Tauranga and district would be like if we closed down everything that was not profit making.We have nothing but a beach.


So what should the Council cut, Murray Guy?

Posted on 05-02-2015 19:47 | By Councillorwatch

Seems to me that the Council has wasted money on restructuring, $5 million to Baypark, purchased a Speedway, pays out a huge amount to the art gallery and creative tauranga every year, pays for sports grounds and sports groups every year and the list goes on. Where should Council cut expenses? Lately Murray, you've gone on about wonderful council staff and ex staff so I guess there's no more savings there. So where are the cuts to be Murray? Please spell it out exactly. Should it be libraries or stormwater or arts or what? It seems that for you this plant house has to be kept, so what else can't be touched? How much do you want to give to the Village and things like Village Radio too? No wonder our rates keep going up and up and up.


Just bulldoze everything!

Posted on 05-02-2015 21:13 | By KwiSteve

I can remember going to Robins park as a kid with my Grand Parents. There was the aviary as well as the Tropical house. We need to keep these things for visitors and locals alike to enjoy. Tauranga in my opinion, has lost a lot! Who remembers the Kayaks and Peddle Boats at Memorial Park? They've gone! Who remembers Goldfish in the Rose Gardens Pond? They've gone! Lets keep Tauranga beautiful!


Food for Thought.

Posted on 05-02-2015 21:18 | By BlueberryBee

I have loved going to this part of Tauranga for a number of years now. But the reality is hardly anyone knows its there. Ask most locals that have moved here within the past 15 years and they will draw a blank as to were the glass house is. Ask locals that know about the park and they will most likely comment they had not been there for years and forgot about it. Unfortunately it really is a forgotten gem. Perhaps the council should be asking themselves where they have gone wrong not promoting such gems like the glasshouse. Or maybe even relocate the plant specimens to a new glasshouse in say quarry park were a glass house would get higher volumes of people and where it would be appreciated. food for thought anyway.


Unbelievable...

Posted on 06-02-2015 00:53 | By Bobby

In the paper today it was reported that the council wanted to spend twelve million upgrading the waterfront in the CBD. About time for a 'rates strike' methinks...


Where to cut?

Posted on 06-02-2015 09:47 | By nerak

Start with council and contractor staff. It can take 20 - 45 minutes to tidy up a traffic island in my road, always two staff, a job that should take 10 minutes at best, without cell phone use. ?indicative of waste elsewhere? You bet. Have just been told council want to charge the market hoping to move to 17th Ave $2 k per session, way to go council, sure to make them want to move there. Wonder who the clown was that came up with that figure. Must be some damn fine savings to be made with a few less council staff...


$100,000 a year!

Posted on 06-02-2015 14:53 | By Mackka

What a load of absolute tripe - how in hell can that cost possibly be substantiated. Let council show us how this is huge sum is made-up! Are they so stupid that they can't see how these so called contractors, advisors, consultants etc. are ripping them off? We voted for the councillors we wanted to run things for us - not a gravy train of endless leeches sucking on the ratepayers tit!!! Leave the Tropical House alone - and the rose gardens which I believe are also on the list of things to be demolished! They haven't announced that publicly yet! Then they'll want to put the museum there won't they? We need a museum like we need a hole in the head. FOOLS - THE LOT OF THEM !!!!


Wisechief

Posted on 07-02-2015 08:27 | By Wise Chief

Council certainly wasted a fortune putting in quite a number of the totally unnecessary street partitions all over Arataki, Papamoa etc. One fine example of waste is them putting two such street partitions at each end of Pukaki St which is only 70 meters long and between two side streets. Also they put one one on Taupo ave cnr which has seen several accidents since. The public who run into these unnecessary and dangerous additions must be allowed to sue council planning staff who waste such funding when the work is totally unnecessary. Also have notice how few Maori's or Kiwi's doing council work these days but plenty of Poms and South Africans etc. Are we locals being squeezed out of our own council? Bad enough we don't get a voice and now no jobs. Localised creeping apartheid anyone? Council should leave this garden alone and promote for tourists.


Never knew it was there!

Posted on 07-02-2015 11:31 | By claires

Have to agree with Blueberry Bee - have lived here for nearly 10 years but didn't know there was a tropical plant house in Tauranga - despite being a keen gardener. Will definitely be checking it out soon, and telling others about it.


Wisechief

Posted on 07-02-2015 17:41 | By Wise Chief

I wonder if council wise enough to engage local Maori who own the Marae site this garden sits upon to ask them if they want to add some large carved sculptures and carvings of the history of the place since Takitimu arrival along with those of local pale crew artists to make it a feature visitors place to visit for the tourist who come via ships and those via bikes travelling soon to be new paths. Also a donation box could set up to pay some of costs. Tauranga pretty bland place.


Nerak

Posted on 10-02-2015 04:29 | By YOGI BEAR

A wander in the park will also be a thing of the past, TCC plan to sell off all reserves and park areas in the city, the aim is to try and reduce the debt a little horrific levels that it has already reached.


Mackka

Posted on 10-02-2015 04:33 | By YOGI BEAR

Council staff will spend endless amounts of consultant money so as they themselves don't have to make any decisions about anything, this is called self preservation. Simply by having a consultants report saying what to do then they protect themselves from any and all decisions that go wrong (there are plenty that do) so then they get bigger salaries, more to send and more mana for wasting everyone else's money.


Bobby

Posted on 10-02-2015 13:00 | By YOGI BEAR

Yes it is unbelievable, they have already spent $4m to much already and plan for another $12m, the entire plan is for some $20m+ and that will all be borrowed for sure. They have some silly notion that creating a concrete haven for Council officials will make the city wonderful and vibrant. When actually the opposite is true, less officials "thinking" is way better, in fact less officials full stop is better., Don't expect this crazy situation to get any better fast, TCC staff have heaps of far fetched idea and notions just waiting to hatch and spring upon unsuspecting TCC Councilors to be approved.


No No NO

Posted on 03-03-2015 14:07 | By festino lente

We are simply overspending. Of course there is someone somewhere who wants everything that is public domain orientated kept that way. However, as a city we cannot afford to have everything. Costs are ballooning without restraint on most things and it is time for hard choices. No one wants it to be their thing that is no longer funded, but seriously if your thing is well used it is unlikely it will come under review, and this place is simply not used sufficiently regardless of how you crunch the numbers


festino lente

Posted on 03-03-2015 23:00 | By YOGI BEAR

Correct, the real big issue is that Councils work on the basis of "what nice to haves to we want to have?" then they figure the money needed for that and expect everyone to pay. This view of the world is from the mindlessly stupid bottomless pit idea that officials have as their view of the world. It also flows from the idea that they always know best what is good for everyone else. On the other side of things a complete change is needed to reign in the costs, better to have a budget (about 1/2 of that now dragged out of everyone) that must be lived within, when something finishes the rates cost drops rather than letting the officials think of something else to spend it on so ratepayers are driven into a ratchet effect for rates bills annually.


Overit

Posted on 04-03-2015 18:24 | By overit

I was down by Sunlive the other day, there are some new Maori statues placed on the Strand corner, who paid for these? Not far from where the succulent boat was removed.Interesting.


Hot house

Posted on 05-03-2015 11:06 | By YOGI BEAR

I would say that most never even knew that this place existed, yet it is propped up by massive amounts of money ex rates for no apparent reason.


?

Posted on 05-03-2015 21:39 | By Raewyn

The people that get paid to look after this lovely asset to our community get $15,000 where is the rest of the One hundred thousand going? Good Question!


Parks

Posted on 06-03-2015 13:37 | By DAD

There are far to few places around the CBD to have a picnic that a a nice quiet outlook. There was a nice little park with a palm tree down town but now it is a flat nothing! Does everything that was ever lovely have to be destroyed and replaced with concrete?


Overit

Posted on 06-03-2015 15:33 | By overit

Yes Dad I didnt think the money spent there did anything to enhance the area.


Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.