It took just one year and 45 days to construct the world-famous Empire State Building in New York City.
But, staggeringly, it took the Howick Local Board about three years to decide how to manage the Howick War Memorial Hall, which is allowed to hold just 15 people.
As the Times has reported previously, the Picton Street facility more commonly known as the Howick Information Centre was closed along with most Auckland Council facilities in the first half of 2020 when New Zealand went into its first Covid-19 lockdown.
An expression of interest process was subsequently begun to allow groups interested in managing the facility to make their case.
Among those that did were the Howick Village Association (HVA), Uxbridge Community Projects, Howick Tourism, the Pakuranga Chinese Association and Howick Community Hub, among others.
In late 2021 council staff recommended the local board appoint the HVA as the preferred applicant to manage it.
Council staff had made the recommendation to the board at least three times in recent years and each time it failed to receive sufficient support to pass.
On one occasion none of the board’s members moved or seconded the item so no vote was held.
The council has been managing the building as a venue for hire.
The facility was on the local board’s agenda yet again at its business meeting on May 16.
A report provided to the board states the item is to formalise proposed changes to the building’s operating model.
It says council staff recommended that from July 1 the hall formally move to a venue-for-hire delivery model with relevant fees and charges, which will generate a modest revenue.
“A permanent shift to venue-for-hire allows the EOI process to be officially closed and interested parties and community to be informed of the future direction for the hall.
“Staff propose to implement this change via development of the 2024/2025 Howick Local Board work programme and recommend a schedule of fees.”
Recommendations put to the board are that it approve the building operating as an official venue for hire managed through the standard council venue booking systems and for officers to apply hire fees and charges to the building in line with a specified framework.
Before finally deciding how to manage it, the board heard from members of the public including Howick Ratepayers and Residents Association chairperson Janet Dickson, HVA committee members, community volunteer Margaret Hawkeswood, members of the Howick Community Hub, and Barry Dreyer on behalf of Howick RSA.
Dreyer said the RSA wanted to make a stronger contribution to welfare and commemorative activities in its region.
The organisation has moved out of the hospitality business and sold its Wellington Street building.
Howick RSA has no satisfactory base and needs a visible and easily accessible “shop front” to be successful and contribute to the Howick community, he said.
“The Howick War Memorial Hall is the most suitable Howick location for the RSA charities.
“It is after all a War Memorial Hall. We see the hall as a general welfare facility for the people of the region [to be] used by other welfare related organisations as well.
“The RSA would permanently staff the facility.”
Dreyer said the hall would then be used on a regular scheduled basis by other welfare organisations and the RSA’s proposal minimises ratepayer input and maximises outputs and benefits to Howick.
Following deputations from the public, board member Katrina Bungard said she wanted to move an amendment changing the wording of the recommendation so the facility would be operated as a venue for hire until further notice.
She also wanted to have the council run a new expression of interest process to have interested groups make their case to manage the facility.
Board member David Collings said he would second Bungard’s amendment as long as its wording was changed, which led to him conferring with Bungard for about 30 minutes, with input from board member Mike Turinsky and the board’s advisor.
Board members then had the chance to question Bungard about her amendment.
After much discussion and debate it was voted down with four votes in support and five opposed.
Turinsky then said he wanted to make an amendment to the original motion so the facility would be operated as a venue for hire but without fees or hire charges being applied to users.
Board members questioned him on the amendment before it was voted down with three votes in favour and six opposed.
During the discussions on the proposed amendments, several board members reminded their colleagues about how long the process has been going for and said the matter finally needed to be resolved.
The board then voted on and passed the original motion, about three years after being tasked with deciding how the facility should be managed.
The board also voted to thank applicants in the expressions of interest process for their involvement to date.
Including the deputations from the public, that item on the board’s agenda took about three hours to deal with.
At one point during the meeting Turinsky said debate and discussion on the proposed amendments relating to the hall was “democracy” and a positive thing.
Disclosure: Howick Local Board deputy chairperson Bo Burns is the owner of the Times.
