TE KOMITI

MEETING OF 5 MARCH 2015

Strategy & Planning

12 January 2015

PORIRUA PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE - OPTIONS UPDATE

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to provide advice on options for a Porirua performing arts centre in
preparation for the release of the draft Long Term Plan 2015-25. This paper also provides a
summary of earlier papers and discussion related to establishing a local performing arts centre.

SIGNIFICANCE OF DECISION

The Councils Significance Policy is not triggered by this report.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That Te Komiti:

1. Receive the report;

2. Note the previous analysis on the need for a performing arts centre in Porirua described in
Attachment 1;
3. Note the approach from Aotea College to develop a partnership for a performing arts
centre in conjunction with the school;
4. Provide an indicative $1 million capex in the Long Term Plan in 2017/18;
5. Agree that the proposal to invest $1 million is included in the Consultation Document for
the Long Term Plan;
6. Agree to undertake a feasibility study on a performing arts centre proposal to be reported
back prior to 30 June 2016 including: levels of demand, benefits, options, financial and
operational considerations, timeframes, community views and a preferred option.
7. Note that the feasibility study will be completed within the first year of the Long Term
Plan 2015-25 to allow Aotea College (if preferred) to continue with confidence
8. Note that the feasibility study will be completed within current resources.

Report prepared by:

Anne Kelly
SENIOR POLICY ANALYST, STRATEGIC & COMMUNITY POLICY
Approved for submission by:

Wendy Walker Euan Dempsey

GENERAL MANAGER GENERAL MANAGER
STRATEGY AND PLANNING COMMUNITY SERVICES

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.1 For at least twenty years the Council has investigated, by itself or with others, ways to
establish a performance centre or space in Porirua. Options canvassed have included a
performance space:

integrated with, or adjacent to, Pataka;

in the city centre;
on Whitireia Community Polytechnic campus run under a trust model with others;
and
a proposal from Aotea College to partner in the redevelopment of the colleges
auditorium Te Manawa.

1.2 In the Long Term Plan 2009-19 the Council made a commitment of $3.2m over ten years
towards the proposed Whitireia Performing Arts Centre. After Whitireia Community
Polytechnic withdrew their financial support for the project in December 2011, the
Councils contribution of $3.2m was not carried over into the Long Term Plan 2012-22.1

1.3 Subsequently the Council has made the following resolutions related to a performing arts
centre:

That the Council support the Aotea College Te Manawa Redevelopment project in
principle, and seek a report to the Council on options for providing support
(Council meeting, 6 June 2012)
That the Council request a report looking at all the options for the provision of
performance space in Porirua City, including a new small theatre for Porirua
(Council meeting 12 December 2012).

1.4 Due to capacity issues and the intense focus on the future of the Marines Hall (and the
implications for Porirua Little Theatre), neither of these papers was prepared.

1.5 Through the Draft Annual Plan 2014/15 process, the Council made a commitment to
consider making a provision for the development of a performance space as part of the
development of the LTP 2015-25.2

1.6 This paper summarises work that has already been undertaken regarding the development
of a performing arts centre and provides a preliminary examination of the various options
1
Ngati Toa Rangatira had not committing any funding towards the Whitireia Performing Arts Centre.
2
Draft Annual Plan 2014/15 responses paper to Council meeting 4 June 2014

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 available to the Council.

1.7 It is recommended that the Long Term Plan 2015-25 includes an indicative $1 million
capex in 2017/18 towards a performing arts centre/space and that proposed investment is
included in the Consultation Document for the Long Term Plan 2015-25. It is also
recommended that the Council undertake a feasibility study of the proposal to be reported
back prior to 30 June 2016, to be met within current resources.

2 CONTRIBUTION TO COUNCIL'S STRATEGIES

Relationship to Council's Strategic Priorities
A City of Villages A Healthy Harbour A Growing City A Great City Experience

2.1 A high quality performing arts space in Porirua would make a positive contribution for
residents, businesses and visitors. Results from biannual Quality of Life surveys and
Annual Satisfaction Surveys demonstrate the high value residents place on arts and culture
events and services in the City and the importance of an active and vibrant arts sector as
part of our city identity and pride.3

3 BACKGROUND

3.1 Over the last twenty years there have been many discussions and investigations regarding a
performing arts centre. Venues of different sizes and designs have been explored in a range
of locations and options for sole operation and partnerships have been considered. A
number of feasibility studies and surveys have been completed. For a variety of reasons,
including financial constraints for the Council and/or other partners, none of the proposals
for a performing arts centre have progressed beyond the concept design stage.

3.2 The Council has written or commissioned a number of reports exploring a performing arts
centre in Porirua. The findings of the main reports and activities related to establishing a
performing arts centre in Porirua are summarised in Attachment 1. Some of the main
reports include:

McDermott Miller Report 1994

Imax Report 20014
McDermott Miller Report 2003
Whitireia Performing Arts Centre Business Case 2009
Sports and Events Centre various papers
Performance Space in Porirua 2012

3.3 In general, smaller theatres (approximately 200 seats) cater for primarily local
performances and audiences whilst larger venues (seating 500-600) cater for audiences

3
Satisfaction levels and visitor numbers to Pataka Art + Museum are consistently high. On average, over 6 Quality
of Life Surveys between 2008 and 2014, over 75% of Porirua residents agree that Porirua has a culturally rich and
diverse arts scene.
4
Imax is a consulting group of Whitireia Community Polytechnic

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 from the local and wider region and require more active programming and marketing in
order to be successful.

3.4 Historically there has been community support for a performing arts centre or space5 (of
varying sizes). The preferred location is next to, or part of, Pataka. This location
contributes to the idea of a culture and leisure sector recommended by McDermott Miller in
1994.

3.5 In the last two years, the Council has been approached by Aotea College to partner with it
for the redevelopment of their auditorium - Te Manawa. The Council received a submission
to the Long Term Plan 2012-22 from the Aotea College Board of Trustees (BOT)
reiterating the need for a local theatre venue that can seat between 300-500 people (the
closest venues this size are Lower Hutt Little Theatre or Southwards Theatre at
Paraparaumu).

3.6 The Aotea College BOT suggested in its 2012 submission that the Council reconsider
withdrawing all of its planned capital funding for a performing arts centre and retain a
portion of it to invest in another facility such as the Te Manawa redevelopment. A joint
project with the College was suggested and an overview of its auditorium upgrade was
included in the submission.

3.7 Aotea College wishes to upgrade its auditorium from its current capacity (290) to 500 seats.
The proposed upgrade will also include extra changing rooms, a commercial kitchen,
reception room, dance studio and a small meeting room. It is intended to be available for
community use after school hours.

3.8 At the time of the Aotea College BOT submission, the Board was awaiting a funding
decision from the Lotteries Commission for a feasibility study on the community needs for
a multi-purpose performance venue. The application was subsequently declined.

3.9 For the LTP 2012-22 the Council also received a submission from the Porirua Community
Arts Council in which it stated that it does not resile from its repeated advocacy for a
larger, purpose built performing arts facility in the city. The Porirua Community Arts
Council suggested that the Council could support the proposal by Aotea College to bridge
a void.

3.10 The Council has not received a business case from Aotea College for the redeveloped
auditorium. The total cost of the redevelopment is unknown at this stage, as is the amount
of financial support Aotea College is seeking from the Council. It is anticipated that most
of the cost will be met by the Ministry of Education as part of a wider Ministry funded
upgrade of the college, yet to be confirmed.

3.11 While the Ministry of Education has approved $3 million for storm repairs at Aotea
College, the Principal Kate Gainsford, estimates that the total cost of the redevelopment of
the whole school will be tens of millions of dollars.6 The BOT approved a school-wide

5
A random survey for 300 Porirua residents found that 80% agreed that there should be a performing arts centre in
Porirua City (Imax Report 2001). In a 2003 community survey, 77% of residents believed that a performing arts
centre was either very important or important (McDermott Millar in assoc. with Shand Shelton Architects).
6
Principal despairs at rotting school, Dominion Post, 17 January 2015

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 master-plan from the Ministry of Education in November 2014. This master-plan is subject
to Ministerial approval if costs exceed $15 million and Cabinet approval if costs exceed
$25 million. The Ministry of Education expects to provide Ministers or Cabinet with
options for addressing the infrastructural issues at the school by mid-2015.7

3.12 Aotea College has been in contact with the Council on a number of occasions regarding our
interest in partnering with them on the Te Manawa redevelopment. This has included:

a submission from the BOT Chair and Principal to the draft LTP 2012-22;
a letter to the Mayor from the BOT, 20 November 2013;
a deputation by the principal, Kate Gainsford, 18 December 2013; and
a briefing by the Ministry of Education at Aotea College on the Master-plan, 16
December 2014.8

3.13 Like the Ministry of Education, the Council needs to be cognisant of the wider community
impacts, both negative and positive of any proposal, such as that of Aotea School. Further
work needs to done regarding alternatives to ensure the best outcome for the wider
community.

4 DISCUSSION AND OPTIONS CONSIDERED

4.1 There have been several serious attempts to establish a performing arts centre in Porirua.
Each attempt has required significant time and resources from all parties involved, with no
guarantee that the project will proceed. For example, the Porirua Performing Arts Trust
estimates that $407,000 had been spent on a feasibility study, a business case, consultation
and designs.9 If the Council wishes to proceed with another feasibility study it needs to be
aware of this risk.

4.2 It is not clear from the work that has been done to date what the ideal size, location or
model of operation is. Market analysis data on potential users and audiences is dated and
would need to be repeated. The cost of a performing arts centre is unknown and will
depend on a range of factors including the size, design and model of operation (sole charge
or partnership).

4.3 If the Council chooses to proceed with supporting a performing arts space, its Significance
and Engagement Policy will be triggered on a number of points. There will be implications
for rates. For example, the estimated cost of the Whitireia Performing Arts Centre was
$12.9m. The withdrawal of the Councils $3.2m contribution in 2012 meant a rates saving
of approximately 3%.10

What performance spaces are already available locally & regionally?

7
Kim Shannon, Education Infrastructure Services, Ministry of Education, quoted in Millions earmarked to improve
school, Dominion Post, 26 January 2015
8
The briefing was attended by the Chief Executive, Mayor and a number of General Managers and Councillors.
9
Quote from Deidre Dale, chair Porirua Performing Arts Trust cited in Counting the cost of Whitireia pull-out from
arts venue, Kapi Mana News, 15 January 2012.
10
1.2 From the Mayor, Long Term Plan 2012-22, p3

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4.4 While the Council does not have a recent audit of performing arts spaces in Porirua some
useful information is available from previous studies and submissions.

4.5 The Whitireia Performing Arts Centre Business Case prepared by McDermott Miller in
2009 for the Whitireia Performing Arts Trust and the Council reviewed the other facilities
and found:

there are a minimal number of performing art venues in the Wellington Region that
cater for an audience size of 450. Wellington City and Hutt Valley had no venues of this
size. VUW Memorial Theatre was the closest with 375 seats. Porirua and Kapiti had
two venues identified at this time, namely Te Rauparaha Secondary Stadium and
Southward Museum with 500 and 474 seats respectively.

4.6 The Aotea College Board of Trustees submission to the LTP 2012-22 identified a gap in
performance space in Porirua for theatres with 500 seats. They identified the following
spaces used by community groups:

Pataka Performing Arts Studio Seats 100-120 people, single level. Users required to hire
tiered seating (approximately $1000 for 3 days)

Mungavin Hall Raised stage but flat area hall floor for seating; while it
seats several hundred there are difficulties with audience
sightlines to stage

Hosanna & Elim Churches Seats 400 & 1000 respectively but neither are set up for
performance theatre and are unavailable Sundays

Porirua Little Theatre Seats 100, now in temporary accommodation

Aotea College Te Manawa Seats 290 with two small change rooms, small kitchen &
Auditorium foyer

4.7 The Porirua Little Theatre is temporarily housed in the old Petes Emporium building (4
Lydney Place) after the Marines Hall was found to be structurally unsafe and closed in
August 2012. There are a number of nearby halls within 500 metres of the Marines Hall
for hire (Niblick Hall, Titahi Bay Bowling Club, Tireti Road and Titahi Bay RSA, Main
Road) and a number of venues further away. At this stage, Porirua Little Theatre has not
been able to find a suitable permanent alternative location and would prefer, if possible, to
return to a refurbished Marines Hall.

4.8 Since the late 1970s, Mana Little Theatre has been operating in the old RSA rooms at the
rear of the Plimmerton Pavilion. This boutique theatre now stages three or four plays every
year and also hosts jazz or blues concerts several times a year.11 The building is owned by
the Council and leased to Mana Little Theatre. Significant refurbishments have been
funded by Mana Little Theatre.

11
http://www.manalittletheatre.org/aboutUs.html

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4.9 The Aotea College BOT submission suggests that if a performance group needs a venue for
audiences of around 500 then the closest options are Lower Hutt Little Theatre or the
Southwards Theatre in Paraparaumu.12 It should be noted that subsequent to the Aotea
College submission in 2012, a new $5m performing arts centre is to be built on school land
at Kapiti College and will seat 300-350. Construction is to commence in October 2015.13

4.10 Porirua City Centre Revitalisation Market Analysis undertaken by the Stafford Group in
2011 identified a Wellington Region gap for a 150-400 seat conference and meeting
venue14. There is an opportunity to explore whether a new multi-use venue could be
established that provides both a performance space and conference/meeting space.

4.11 Te Rauparaha Arena tends not to be mentioned by community based performing arts
groups as a venue for productions. This suggests its potential to be used is unknown by user
groups or there are other barriers to its use.

Community Support

4.12 While there is no detailed recent data on the level of community support for a performing
arts centre, the UMR Research survey undertaken in September 201415 regarding
perceptions of the Marines Hall found that 68% of Porirua residents support a repaired or
replaced hall to be used as a community space available for a wide range of uses; 20%
specifically wanted the hall to be used as a performance space.

4.13 The draft LTP 2015-25 consultation scheduled 2 April to 1 May 2015 provides an
opportunity for the Council to gauge the level of community support for committing
funding towards a performing arts centre in Porirua. It is recommended that funding is set
aside for a detailed needs analysis and a feasibility study.

4.14 A number of options are available to the Council regarding a performing arts centre in
Porirua and are considered below.

Option 1: Status Quo

4.15 The Council could choose to retain the status quo. This option is not recommended
because:

there is long-standing community interest in having a performing arts centre in

Porirua and the issue is likely to stay on the agenda, particularly given that the
future of the Marines Hall has yet to be resolved;
the Council has already agreed to support, in principle, the Aotea College Te
Manawa Redevelopment; and
the Council has agreed 4 June 2014, to consider making a provision for the
development of a performance space as part of the development of the LTP 2015-
25.

12
Aotea College BOT submission LTP 2012-22, Nigel Sanson
13
Arts centre now a reality, Kapiti Observer, 8 January 2015
14
Stafford Group Market Analysis Powerpoint Presentation, 13 October 2011 #973252
15
Survey of 506 Porirua residents, Public Perceptions of Marines Hall, September 2014, UMR Research

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 Option 2: Porirua City Council partnership with another organisation to
convert/enhance a non-Council owned facility eg Aotea College

4.16 The approach from Aotea College has meant that this partnership option has been actively
considered. There may be other others available.

4.17 There are other facilities that could equally serve the purpose eg other school facilities or
community or church halls that could be made suitable for theatre productions.

4.18 A partnership between the Council and a school is in keeping with the Councils interests
in getting multi-purpose shared facilities, both to optimise use and to reduce costs for each
party and therefore ratepayers.
4.19 A partnership between a school and a Council is not new territory for the Ministry of
Education as a number of these arrangements already exist. For example Wellington City
Council partners with Amesbury School in Churton Park for their auditorium, Westpark
School in Johnsonville for their playground and Tawa College for the operation of the
Tawa Recreation Centre.

4.20 The Porirua City Council currently partners with Mana College regarding ground
management of school land adjacent to Elsdon Park. The Council provides operational
maintenance and bookings for the colleges sports fields. The Council makes no capital
investment in the college fields.

4.21 The conversion of a facility not owned by the Council was identified as one option in a
paper to the Council (12 December 2012) examining future venues for Porirua Little
Theatre. However, conversion of a facility not owned by the Council was not considered a
viable or preferred option because of:
access difficulties for community groups wishing to use the facility because the
owners have primary use rights (in the case of schools, access would be limited to
after school hours and times when the school is not using it for their own
productions); and
difficulties associated with a theatre operating a liquor licence (which may be seen
as inappropriate at a school or church).

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4.22 With any partnership arrangement there are complexities and risks. One or more parties
may get into difficulties or face changing priorities and withdraw, as was the case with
Whitireia Community Polytechnics decision to withdraw their commitment to the
Whitireia Performing Arts Centre and focus on campus redevelopment.
4.23 The main advantage of a partnership arrangement is being able to spread capital and
operational costs between the partners (although not necessarily evenly).

4.24 If the Council wishes to contribute to capital costs of a non-Council owned facility (such
as the Te Manawa redevelopment at Aotea College), there are financial considerations
particularly whether this contribution would be capiatal or operating expenditure. This
issue is covered in section 6 of this paper. The Ministry of Education has advised that a
co-ownership arrangement/contract can be developed. If the Council wishes to pursue
this option, the implications of this need further investigation.

4.25 Typically in these arrangements the Ministry has two contract agreements one for the
construction of the facility and one covering the operating model. The details of
community access, liability etc would need to be worked through carefully.

4.26 The Council may also wish to investigate whether there are other non-council owned
facilities that could be converted/modified to determine whether investing in Te Manawa
is the best option.

4.27 A partnership option is the most affordable if the Council wishes to pursue the notion of a
performing arts centre. It is therefore recommended that $1 million capex is included in
the year 3 of the draft Long Term Plan ( 2017/18) for a performing arts centre in Porirua
and a $100,000 operating amount for depreciation, maintenance, insurance and other
operating costs from that same year.

4.28 This proposal will be included in the Consultation Document for the Draft Long Term
Plan, noting the in principle commitment to the redevelopment of Te Manawa at Aotea
College but requiring a full feasibility study to determine demand, benefits, options,
financial and operational considerations, timeframes, community views and a preferred
option. This work should be confirmed in the first year of the Long Term Plan to allow
the Council and Aotea College (if preferred) to continue with confidence.

Option 3: Convert/enhance a council owned facility into a performing arts space

4.29 If the Council wishes to pursue this option it would require a review of its property
portfolio to identify whether any buildings that have potential to be converted into a
performing arts space and estimated cost refurbishment.

4.30 The review should be accompanied by an investigation into how local and regional
performing arts groups currently utilise Te Rauparaha Arena (TRA). As there is little
current uptake of the services offered at the TRA by theatre groups, further exploration is
needed as to the barriers and ways to reduce these.

Option 4: Build a new small theatre for Porirua

4.31 This option was described in a paper to the Council on 12 December 2012 as follows:

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 build a new facility on a different site as a small scale multipurpose theatre for
Porirua - similar in concept to Expressions in Upper Hutt. It would be available
for use by those organisations that have a need for a performance venue. It is
envisaged that this would be at a significantly reduced scale and not be a
complete substitute for either the Porirua Performing Arts Trust facility or the
Porirua Little Theatre.

In the design of Pataka, a theatre was considered for the area originally used by
the Whitireia Performance Group and latterly by dance groups. The space
contained within the Pataka footprint, or expanded to include part of the adjacent
parking area should be sufficient to build a small theatre of up to 250 seats in a
permanent tiered configuration with a stage and support facilities. It is unlikely
that the facility would be big enough to have ancillary rehearsal space associated
with it and theatre users would not have exclusive occupancy but would have to
book usage.

The construction of a new theatre in this location would provide the City with
sufficient breathing space to enable a larger performing arts venue to be planned
over future years. A new small theatre would not preclude the planned
Performing Arts Theatre being built in the future but it would preclude it being
built in association with Pataka.

4.32 The December 2012 paper notes While no work has been done on the cost of a modest
theatre associated with Pataka a budget of approximately $3-4m with contributions from
charities, might make it feasible for the Council to provide for the construction and
operation of a facility of that size in its next Long Term Plan 2015-2025.

5 OPERATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

5.1 There are no immediate operational implications from this paper. If the feasibility study
proceeds, consideration will be given in this work to capital and/or operating expenditure
implications.

6 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

6.1 Given the financial constraints faced by the Council, it is important that a robust
feasibility study is completed before the Council commits significant funding towards a
performing arts centre in Porirua.

6.2 As mentioned under Option Two a partnership option is the most affordable if the Council
wishes to pursue the notion of a performing arts centre. It is therefore recommended that
$1 million capex is included in the year 3 of the draft Long Term Plan ( 2017/18) for a
performing arts centre in Porirua and a $100,000 operating amount for depreciation,
maintenance, insurance and other operating costs from that same year.

6.3 Financial support in the form of a grant could be considered. The main advantage of a
grant is that it would be a one-off commitment, however it would have a direct impact on
rates. A $1 million grant roughly translates to a rates increase of 2%.

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6.4 The Ministry of Education are yet to finalise costs regarding the redevelopment of Te
Manawa. The decision making process has a number of steps and is likely to be lengthy.
Any funding that is approved by Cabinet is likely to be released in stages.

7 STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

7.1 There are no significant legal implications associated with this paper.

8 CONSULTATION

8.1 No consultation was required for this exploratory options paper.

8.2 It is recommended that the proposal to include an indicative $1 million capex in 207/18 is
including in the Consultation Document for the Long Term Plan 2015-25.

9 CONCLUSION

9.1 The Council has been involved in several attempts to establish a performing arts centre in
Porirua. No recent information is available on the need for a performing arts centre;
where it is best located, how it should run, and what cost burden Council should carry,
either alone or with others. The invitation to partner with Aotea College in the
redevelopment of the school auditorium has put the issue back on the agenda.

9.2 This paper recommends that $1 million capex is reserved in the Long Term Plan for
2017/18, that this proposal is included in the Consultation Document for the Long Term
Plan 2015-25 and that a feasibility study is completed prior to 30 June 2016.

10 ATTACHMENTS
:
#1079834 Attachment 1: History of reports related to a Porirua Performing Arts
Centre

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