February 23, 2017
Whangarei counts blessings from Hundertwasser Centre
A member of the Prosper Northland Trust says the $1.5 million grant for Whangarei's Hundretwasser Centre and Wairau Maori Art Gallery from the Northland Region Council should unlock the rest of the money needed to get the project started.
Benjamin Pittman says at least $1 million of the $14 million pledged so far is tied to the Maori gallery that was part of the late Austrian artist Freidensreich Hundertwasser's vision for the centre.
He says the project will create jobs and opportunity, not just for the artists but for Maori people and businesses in the north.
The council based its decision on an independent report which put the galleries' contribution to the Northland economy at $22 million a year.
Dr Pittman says it will be a reason for people to stop in Whangarei, instead of bypassing it as is common now for visitors to the north.
He says the opposition to the centre by several Whangarei District Councillors means it has become truly a community project, but those councillors are due for some tough questions about their stance.
FULL INTERVIEW WITH BENJAMIN PITTMAN
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