Re: ‘City museum one step closer' (The Weekend Sun, May 20).

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges' simplistic plan for a new museum is pie in the sky stuff – the one-third government, one-third Tauranga City Council ratepayers and one-third private funding. Well, Mr Bridges was here in 2007 when many councillors were thrown out over the ‘Museum on the Water' nonsense, estimated to cost $25million. He was also here when TCC subsequently promised there would only be $100,000 seed money for a museum trust, which has achieved nothing during the last five years. And, apart from that, not $1of TCC ratepayers' money would be used for museum buildings or operating costs. Mr Bridges is now effectively by urging TCC to break its promises and undertakings to ratepayers by looking at a $30m building, providing a prime site and $7m per annum outgoings. Well Mr Bridges, if the National Government and private enterprise want to take on this money-sucker then go for it.

Museum-ites should put up or shut up! Keep out of local politics, Bridges hand-picked museum poll got only 50 per cent supporting it – a true independent poll on SunLive showed vast majority still didn't want a ratepayer-rates-funded Museum.

As for storage, well 90 per cent of artefacts are rubbish and there are no ‘national treasures'. Stop grandstanding because little of it will ever be displayed anyway.

The Thomas Sowell quote: 'It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong” sums up the position rather succinctly!

Elected members who support this grandiose museum should put their hands up before the October 2016 Local Body Elections.

R Paterson, Matapihi.