Tauranga will finally get the museum it has “deserved for so long” after two decades of talking about it.

The civic whare, exhibition gallery and museum project – part of the $306 million civic precinct – was approved by Tauranga City Council on Monday.

The city centre precinct, named Te Manawataki o Te Papa, also includes a library and community hub which is under construction and due to be finished in 2026.

Te Manawataki o Te Papa was approved by the council’s government-appointed commission in 2022.

The newly elected council was asked whether to continue with the project and given three options on Monday: proceed with the civic whare, museum and exhibition centre; stop construction and remediate the site or pause the project and redesign it.

The decision to continue with the $128.4m civic whare, museum and exhibition centre passed in a 7-2 vote after about five hours of discussion.

Dozens of museum supporters filled the public gallery for Monday’s meeting.

The public gallery of Monday's Tauranga City Council meeting was full of museum supporters. Photo / David Hall

Former councillor Mary Dillon told the meeting the heart of the Te Manawataki o Te Papa was the community whare, exhibition and museum, and if that was damaged the whole precinct would be compromised.

The project was the key to making Tauranga’s history highly visible and would lead people on the road to informed cultural understanding, said Dillon.

“Do it right, do it well, and do it for our future.”

Alan Withy spoke on behalf of the Elms Trust, Tauranga Historical Society and Taonga Tu Heritage Bay of Plenty, saying there were thousands of artefacts in council storage waiting for somewhere to be displayed.

Museums were more than a repository — they were a gateway and window to a city, its history and culture, said Withy.

Manawataki means heartbeat, and he questioned how there could be a heartbeat without culture and history.

“I urge you not to rip out the historic and cultural heart of Te Manawataki o Te Papa.”

Otamataha Trust chairman Puhirake Ihaka said the buildings needed to represent the relationship mana whenua had built with the council. Photo / David Hall

Otamataha Trust chairman Puhirake Ihaka said the trust wholeheartedly supported the project.

The Otamataha Trust represents mana whenua from Ngāi Tamarāwaho and Ngāti Tapu hapū, whose traditional rohe [area] includes the precinct and city centre land.

The precinct land, between Hamilton and Wharf Streets, is jointly owned by the council and Otamataha Trust through the Te Manawataki o Te Papa Charitable Trust.

Ihaka said the precinct needed to have buildings that recognised the importance of the land and the relationship between mana whenua and the council.

Mayor Mahé Drysdale said it was another project the new council had inherited from the commission and was already under way.

Whether the newly elected council would have done the project, or done it to the same scale, was a moot point, he said.

Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the council could deliver the museum that had been talked about for 25 years. Photo / David Hall

The best decision as a council was to deliver the project as planned, Drysdale said.

It would help revitalise the CBD and was a significant attraction for people, he said.

Councillor Hautapu Baker said Te Manawataki o Te Papa meant the heartbeat of Te Papa.

The heart’s purpose was to pump blood and deliver oxygen to keep the body well.

“For a very long time Te Papa has been on some form of life support. I believe that the civic whare, museum and exhibition centre is the piece that’s needed to restore the essence.”

Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular said the project would enable creativity, exploration and education.

“It’s time for Tauranga to say yes to a museum, exhibition centre and civic whare. We need a place to tell our stories.”

Councillor Rick Curach and Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular. Photo / David Hall

Councillor Rick Curach said he needed to honour his campaign commitments that he would not support an investment in the civic precinct and would focus on affordability.

“We’ve got to start making some calls to save money.”

Councillor Glen Crowther said the operational costs were a bigger issue than the initial costs.

Projected at more than $30m per year, it would be one of the most expensive library and museums in the country, he said.

He said he would prefer a scaled-back museum to free up money for other projects.

Ratepayers will fund $151.5m of the precinct’s capital costs. The rest will come from external funders, including a $21m TECT grant, Government and local grants, and selling council assets.

The council reported there were financial disadvantages to stopping the project, including losing the TECT grant and having to repay a $12.1m grant from the previous government.

The council had also already spent an unrecoverable $20m on the earthworks and piling, and would also face costs for breaking contracts.

An artist's impression of the civic whare where public meetings will be held. Image / Tauranga City Council

Drysdale said the council needed to be aware Te Manawataki o Te Papa was a large expense.

Plans and discussions about a museum in Tauranga had been happening for 25 years and now the council could deliver, he said.

Speaking after the meeting, Dillon said she been advocating for a museum since 1999 and was relieved Tauranga would have one.

“Tauranga will finally get the facility it’s deserved for so long. It will give us a real opportunity for talking about who we actually are and who we want to be.”

Otamataha Trust representative Buddy Mikaere told Local Democracy Reporting they were very pleased with the outcome.

“Having the project go ahead restores mana to that piece of land.”

The museum project is due to be completed at the end of 2028.

Prior councils abandoned plans for a $55.7m museum on Cliff Rd in 2018 and a waterfront museum proposal in 2007.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.