A new framework to address a 'dearth of public art in Tauranga” is in the works to replace the current policy that is 'not fit for purpose”.

Tauranga City Council staff presented the proposed framework to the Strategy, Finance and Risk Committee on Monday.

Council arts and culture manager James Wilson says the current public art policy, formed in 2015, was not fit for purpose.

'It's clear that our current approach to public art is not serving us well as a city,” says Wilson.

'The proposed public art framework seeks to make a bold change in the way in which we engage with public art.

'The framework aims to engage and enable an ambitious program of public art, which tells the stories of Tauranga, celebrates our artists and gives our community access to high quality public art experiences.”

The framework would fund, set out guidelines, provide a toolkit and promote public art as well as see the establishment of a public art panel, according to Wilson's report to council.

The panel would be made up of sector representatives with 'suitable expertise” in public art and offer advice for projects from commission to installation.

Tauranga City Council arts and culture manager James Wilson. Supplied image.

Other objectives include promoting Tauranga as a centre of artistic and cultural excellence and to support the expression of Māori whakapapa and history throughout the city through public art.

The proposed budget for the fund is a ‘per cent for art' that would allocate 1 per cent of capital budgets for above ground council led projects to public art outcomes.

Under this model $3 million would be allocated to the public art budget for the 2023/24 financial year, subject to the annual plan process. Currently there was no dedicated budget for public art.

Wilson worked alongside Sonya Korohina and Ellie Smith of Supercut Projects, a creative industries consultancy that supported public art installations in Tauranga's CBD, to produce the framework.

Council commission chair Anne Tolley says the previous policy 'achieved little public art in Tauranga”.

'There is a dearth of public art in Tauranga, so we are looking to get a massive improvement,” she says.

Tolley and commissioner Bill Wasley wanted the public art panel to have a degree of independence and remove the politics from decision making.

'Public art is controversial, it should be controversial,” says Tolley. 'Because art is controversial, because it depends on individual taste and too often you see public art interfered with by politics.”

Commissioner Bill Wasley. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

Wasley says they needed to look at potential opportunities for the panel to have a 'significant degree of independence”.

He says he was 'struggling a bit” to see what would be added by projects needing to go to the council table.

To address this the committee added a recommendation to the framework objectives that the panel be delegated authority to make decisions within budget, with the exception of significant installations that would have operational implications.

Committee member Bruce Robertson wanted to ensure the ‘per cent for art' model could fit the budget.

'I like the idea of the 1 per cent, it makes a lot of sense, but we've all agreed it's a lot of money,” says Robertson.

'It's great to have something in principle, but this policy falls over if we can't fund it.

'We need to really give it our best shot to make certain that what is exciting everybody, actually can be delivered.”

Community services general manager Barbara Dempsey says because the committee was making an in principle decision there was more 'diving into detail” that would be done on the framework.

The committee adopted the Public Art Framework and objectives in principle and council staff would report back later in the year before it was formally adopted.

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