Working Group to report to Council on Civic Facility
The independent working group tasked with preparing a review of the rationale for the progression of the Masterton District Council Civic Facility project will present their report at Council’s 14 December meeting.
The report, under development since October this year, will provide the Council with information to enable a decision on next steps.
Chair of the Civic Facility Working Group, Ian Collier, says the report is a logical way to analyse Council decisions that culminated in a revised cost estimate for the project come in at $57.14m, up from the $30.8m provided for in the 2021 LTP consultation document.
“Our team has revisited activity that has taken place to date around the Masterton Civic Facility project,” he said. “We have considered and documented the decisions made since the closing of the Masterton Town Hall in 2016 and made recommendations on a way forward with an agnostic eye.
“Our report should provide some clarity for the Council to inform their next steps in the project.”
Collier, a former Regional Affairs Manager for Air New Zealand who has held senior management positions across several industries, says he understands how these types of projects can quickly become complicated.
“Civil infrastructure projects are complex pieces of work – with Councillors, users and interest groups all keen to have some input into what they want from a Civic Facility. Often this means project scope can creep, and with it costs.
“Our report brings the focus back on the requirements of a Civic Facility that will be fit for Masterton’s purposes. It takes the personalities out of the mix and gets back to the project itself.
“I look forward to seeing how the Council moves this project forward for the people of Masterton.”
The Council will receive the report at Wednesday’s Council meeting.
Notes for editors
Masterton District Council voted to pause proceedings and establish an independent working group on 23 May 2022.
The Working Group is made up as follows:
· Ian Collier (Chair)
· Mihirangi Hollings (Rangitāne o Wairarapa)
· Hera Cobb (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa)
· Rachael Dean (independent member)
· Andrew Clarke (independent member)
