Timaru to invest in Maori rock art attraction

Timaru District Holdings will invest in the Ngai Tahu Maori Rock Art Centre planned for Timaru, because of the positive impact it will have on the district's economy.

Timaru district councillors approved the investment of $280,000 in Te Ana Whakairo, the company set up to build and run the rock art centre in the Timaru Landing Service Building.

"We felt that it had such good potential for the district as an investment," TDHL chairperson and Timaru mayor Janie Annear said.

"The Maori rock art has the ability to attract tourism, international tourists, to our area. The economic benefit for the district from this investment made it an investment that TDHL was prepared to have a look at."

The centre is predicted to boost the 170,000 visitors to the region by 34,000 annually.

Until now, TDHL's only shareholdings have been in PrimePort and Alpine Energy.

"TDHL just saw the opportunity and felt it was one that we should be a part of," Mrs Annear said.

TDHL expects to have an operating surplus of $2.424 million in 2009-2010, and its latest investment will not affect the dividend paid to shareholders this year, Mrs Annear said. The investment will give TDHL 15.6 per cent of Te Ana Whakairo's shareholding, and the ability to appoint a director.

Te Ana Whakairo is registered as a charity and cannot pay dividends but can make "purpose distributions" to be used in support of its aim of supporting rock art.

TDHL's financial involvement is dependent on the trust being able to raise all the funding required.

It needs a further $800,000, with an application for $650,000 to be made to the Lotteries Commission's significant community projects fund, Ngai Tahu Maori Rock Art Charitable Trust curator Amanda Symon said yesterday. It will be March before it is known if the application has been successful. The outcome of funding applications for a further $200,000 should be known this month.

Financial support for the project has come from various sources, including $400,000 from Ngai Tahu's contestable fund for cultural projects, $280,000 from South Canterbury Charities (now Trust Aoraki), $185,000 from Te Puni Kokiri, $100,000 from the Southern Trust and $200,000 from the Lotteries Commission's environmental and heritage fund.

The trust needed 60 per cent of the project's funding confirmed before it could apply to the significant community projects fund. While it reached that figure before the TDHL investment, Ms Symon said the more money it had secured, the better it would reflect on the trust.

The centre is hoped to be open in late 2010, in time for the summer tourist season.

The centre will tell the story of the rock art within the history of South Canterbury. Information will be presented through short documentary-style films, life-size and 3D animations and holograms.

Much of the animation and filming has already been completed.

TIMELINE

It's almost seven years since the Ngai Tahu Rock Art Trust was formed and it is hoped the centre will open late 2010.

* December 2002: the Ngai Tahu Maori Rock Art Trust is formed.

* August 2005: Centre expected to cost between $1.5 million and $2 million and expected to open winter 2007.

* September 2006: Maori Rock Art Centre expected to increase international visitor numbers to the region by up to 20 per cent. Centre targeted to open mid 2008.

* June 2007: Maori rock art centre on target to open around the middle of 2008. The actual building of the centre set to start in November.

* July 2008: Centre due to open late 2009 and cost $2 million.

* September 2009: Centre expected to cost $2.63 million with $800,000 still required. If an application to Lotteries Commission is successful the centre will open late 2010.

- © Fairfax NZ News