A big push for the Hairy Maclary sculpture project is announced today with Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust announcing it is donating $70,000 towards completing the bronze sculptures.
TECT donated the original $30,000 seed funding grant for the project that will see the bronze statues of Hairy Maclary and his friends installed on Tauranga's waterfront.
Creative Tauranga CEO Tracey Rudduck-Gudsell and the bronzed Bottomley Potts.
The $70,000 is conditional upon the project being completed by the end of this year, says TECT chairman Michael Cooney.
'We have been impressed with Creative Tauranga's vision for this project and the organisation's focus and drive to achieve a truly unique legacy for Tauranga City, the BOP and NZ generally,” says Michael.
'The project hasn't proceeded at the pace originally envisioned, but recent funding announcements have encouraged us and we hope that in turn, by raising our total contribution to $100,000, we can inspire others to get in and contribute the final funds needed to install this fantastic public art work on our waterfront.”
The announcement comes only a week after City Care donated $100,000 to the sculpture project. The confirmation of the additional $70,000 from TECT means there is another $181,000 required before the bronzes can be installed on The Strand reclamation.
Creative Tauranga's Chief Executive, Tracey Rudduck-Gudsell, says it's been a very exciting few weeks with the number of donations starting to flow in.
'We are of course thrilled with TECT's additional contribution, and especially so as TECT has supported the project from the get go.
'Having Bottomley Potts on display at the Creative Tauranga gallery this month has certainly brought the project alive for so many people – I think he has been a pleasant surprise to many of his visitors. He is so lifelike and you just can't help but touch him.
'We have had a number of cruise ship visitors looking for the sculptures as they have obviously heard about the project – and this reinforces what we know will become one of the most loved and visited public artworks in our city, if not New Zealand.”
Fundraising has been underway for the last three years to reach the $800,000 target to have the bronzed characters from Tauranga author Dame Lynley Dodd's Hairy Maclary books designed, cast and mounted.
The remainder of the eight statues is expected to be completed by Easter.
Donations can be made at: www.hairymaclarysculptures.org.nz or www.givealittle.co.nz or check out the BOOSTED crowdfunding website at www.boosted.org.nz.
3 comments
How can anyone claim this as a success?
Posted on 25-02-2014 12:41 | By Annalist
Let's look at the fundraising history. Let's look at how Council softened up on its maintenance fund requirement. Let's look where the actual money has come from - TECT has seen fit to use even more precious funds to support these expensive statues, then there's City Care's $100,000. I expect the ratepayer would have preferred that money as a contribution to containing expenses. How many ordinary people have dipped their hands into their own pockets for this nice to have extravagance? The answer would be interesting.
Overit
Posted on 25-02-2014 19:50 | By overit
Not so many years ago, Trustpower users voted on how much of a rebate they got back from TECT. So how do people feel about money going to this project? They have not had any real success in raising the money, and there is still another $181,000 needed. I am glad I shifted to Energy on Line.
Crazy
Posted on 25-02-2014 20:44 | By Jitter
What an absolute waste of good money. My kids loved Lynley Dodd's books but for $800,000 to be poured into these bronze figures in Tauranga is crazy. I could understand it if they were in Wellington or Auckland on either of those iconic waterfronts, but Tauranga ?
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