Start talking about a ‘town hall’ Johnson urges council meeting

it started calling the project concept a “civic facility” and asked that the phrase “town hall” be used in the consultation document for the sake of clarity.

range of printmaking techniques and to make the viewer bring their own emotions in the interpretation of the work, evoking different responses for everyone.

“…With an exhibition as varied as this”, Sarah McClintock, Aratoi director said, “you are going to find pieces that inspire you and some that are more challenging, and that’s okay. We have a huge range of quality work from across Aotearoa on display in this exhibition so take your time and soak them in, find ones that speak to you or change your perspective…”

Printmaking has been around for centuries; woodblock printing was developed in China in the 5th century. The medium has expanded and developed over the centuries with new techniques added, including digital printing. Many of these works in the exhibition play around with combining contemporary and ancient processes to create something entirely new.

• Print Council Aotearoa New Zealand: Celebration is showing from March 4-June 4.

Clear consultation questions are a top priority for Masterton District Council when it comes to the future of the civic facility project.

At the last full council meeting, elected members voted unanimously to consult with the community as part of the annual plan process to inform a revised scope for the project.

Further consultation will then be done as part of the Long-Term Plan [LTP] process.

Deputy Mayor Bex Johnson said she feels the council “lost its way” when

“When we first started this process … people wanted a venue,” she said.

“Public consultation said ‘we want a place to hold stuff ’, which to my mind is a town hall, whether it’s got theatre seats or flexi-floor spaces.

“It became bigger than Ben-Hur when we started calling it a ‘civic facility’ and the perception from the community is that it should be in Vegas, not Masterton.

“It’s ballooned out in cost and scope and I think, somewhere in the consultation, we need to talk about a town hall,” Johnson said.

“To my mind, we have the opportunity to rebuild the town hall, we’ve got the opportunity to renovate and extend the library – affordable options for our community – and our community will get the facilities and councilowned assets it deserves.”

Councillor Brent Goodwin agreed with Johnson and said the wording in the consultation questions needs to be clear.

“Looking at the last disastrous consultation –which was bloody appalling – I personally would like for us to get a chance to see this narrative before it goes out to the public.”

Council staff said elected members will need to approve the document before it goes out to the public.

Mayor Gary Caffell said he is pleased the council is making progress on the project.

“It has been disappointing to all of us who have been here for a while that this has lingered on.

“From comments I have had from the community, there’s a real feeling out there that they want to be consulted and they want very clear questions.”

The civic facility scope that was budgeted for in the 2021-31 LTP cannot be delivered for the budgeted amount.

Significant or material changes to the scope of the project, or to the budgeted amount, must be given effect through the 2024-34 LTP.

This will be consulted on in March/April 2024.

This year, the council will gauge community support and refine options to enable a final decision on the civic facility to be made as part of the 2024-34 LTP. – NZLDR • Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

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