Young people push for museum

Mount Maunganui College students Sam Taylor and Louis Donovan have set up a Facebook page to encourage discussion about the proposed museum for Tauranga.

If you've ever seen the colossal squid at Te Papa Museum in Wellington, you'll know it's not something you forget in a hurry, says Mount Maunganui College student Sam Taylor.

Museums have an important impact on young people and society as a whole and Tauranga needs one of its own, he says.

'Everyone who's been to Te Papa remembers the giant squid and I have no doubt it has spawned a wave of marine biologists and scientists. From a youth perspective, the great thing about museums is that they don't just teach us about our past, they inspire us for the future.”

Sam, 16, says while Tauranga has The Elms historic mission house and a few placards around town featuring local history, there is nothing else that really tells of Tauranga's historic past.

'It's interesting that Tauranga is suffering from decreasing numbers of people returning here after going away to university education. I really think the lack of cultural institutions contributes to that. There's no cultural incentive to come back. A museum would tick some of those boxes. There are economic, social, educational and cultural benefits to having a museum in Tauranga.”

Sam is a member of Taonga Tauranga, a museum advocacy group in the city, and together with fellow student Louis Donovan has set up a Facebook page – Tauranga - Our City, Our Culture – aimed at engaging people in discussion about the museum.

'We hope to get some ‘yes' voters for the referendum. Even though, as young people, we can't vote, we hope we can influence people to vote yes. We'd also like to encourage young people to make long-term plan submissions and use social media to motivate young people on issues that are important to us.”

Taonga Tauranga recently ran an essay competition to raise youth interest in the museum.

Convenor of Taonga Tauranga, Peter McKinlay, says Tauranga City Council has opted to seek public opinion on the proposed museum by way of a referendum of voters, but there are other views not being taken into consideration.

'Young people have a voice they believe should be heard too,” he says.

'It would require a change in the way the council thinks about the role of youth and how it ought to go about including young people in this kind of decision-making. It requires the council to move beyond talking to the people that pay, to all of those who have an interest in the future of this city and the role a museum has to play in that.”

City Transformation Committee chairman Larry Baldock says the council doesn't have a deliberate strategy to consult with young people about the museum at this stage, but when it comes to the design of any museum and its content it will do so.

'At the moment the battle rages over the affordability and who is going to pay for it, which falls upon ratepayers.

'Getting the museum built and open is a long-term strategy and there is still plenty of time for young people to engage.”

Larry says the referendum, with an expected turn-out of around 30 per cent, will only make up part of the feedback on the proposed museum and the council would love to see young people make both written and oral submissions through the long-term plan consultation process.

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28 comments

Way to go, Sam.

Posted on 16-04-2018 17:27 | By R. Bell

The future lies with our youth, be inspired by history and science.Tauranga will one day be a City to be proud of. Robin Bell.


Your vote

Posted on 16-04-2018 17:36 | By Told you

If you answered NO to the first referendum question the other questions become irrelevant.


museum

Posted on 16-04-2018 18:09 | By dumbkof2

any referendom about the museum should be ratepayers only, after all they will be the ones paying for it.


Poor Kids

Posted on 16-04-2018 18:10 | By MISS ADVENTURE

Deluded by pretty things, sadly Te Papa has the only large deep sea squid available so wont be another one of them. The lack of returning teritary students is because of no jobs to come back to. Nothing to do with a Museum at all!


What

Posted on 16-04-2018 18:14 | By thebrad

I would be ok with this if they paid rates.... but they don't, if the vote comes back saying the public doesn't want it which I think it will I don't want to hear anything else about a museum.


museum

Posted on 16-04-2018 18:41 | By dumbkof2

mr bell you pay for the museum and you can visit all day and every day. don't like that idea, i didn't think so.


I have a cunning plan!

Posted on 16-04-2018 19:15 | By waiknot

Lets borrow $100m, use $55m to build the museum. Then we use the other $45m to pay the interest on the $100m loan. Then in $20 odd years these kids can start paying off the $100m loan they needed to get a museum they wanted before they could afford it. What a great lesson in financial management it would be for them. An additional bit of education for the kids all care of the white elephant sorry museum.


come on, Thebrad...

Posted on 16-04-2018 19:39 | By Centurion

...have you not been properly conditiond as yet? I think all this build-up of supposed support is pure smoke, mirrors, and window-dressing. If (and when) the referendum comes in as a resounding 'NO', Council will respond with the good old 'non-binding' piece and carry on carrying on. After all, its your money that will be used to pay off the capital expenditure and the on-going operational expenses.


Unbelievable

Posted on 16-04-2018 20:42 | By maildrop

Reading the crap that Peter comes out with. The "youth" are already represented via their parents. So their interests are already part of the vote. I think it's enough. No need to wheel them out and start bleating about "their voice" not being heard. Peter just cannot stand the fact that most ratepayers don't want it. Maybe one of the boys can ask Santa to bring one.


They will not stay in $10.00 Tauranga

Posted on 17-04-2018 08:05 | By Angels

The reality will hit these misinformed children once they are responsible adults.They mostly will not be able to afford to live here. Pay is way to low with the business pay attitude. With the totally irresponsible council spending binge , the ratepayers are doom for DECADES.One hugely irresponsible council.They should be shamed out of the city.


numbers

Posted on 17-04-2018 08:30 | By hapukafin

At one stage of life touring around the country we took our kids to every museum but soon realised they are all displayed much the same items. so it was off the list of visits.How many museums have these pupils been to and can they honestly say that items on display is so different to the previous one they visited.Sure the giant sqiuid and dionosour skeleton is impressive..If you like the idea of a museum that much there is many within 200km of Tga. you can visit.If you are hell bent on repeating those displays here,come up with a wayt to pay for it without ratepayers dipping into their pocket every year


@ R. Bell

Posted on 17-04-2018 10:38 | By MISS ADVENTURE

Perhaps so, but if you spend it all now then all you will leave them is a massive debt burden. It that your selfish desire ehre? To spend up large and leave that to be juggled and managed somehow in the future?


Not all young people

Posted on 17-04-2018 11:32 | By Captain Sensible

My kids are young and brought up with financial responsibility. They are against the museum because I told them they will have to help pay for it when they are older.


Sorry guys

Posted on 17-04-2018 12:43 | By Kancho

I love the enthusiasm of youth but whilst a nice to have ratepayers expect better infrastructure work to improve all sorts of areas. My bug bear is rapidly increased traffic congestion and roads associated with this. Also not great water pressure, increased pressures with housing developmenton in general. growth Smart mm I think not (Bella Vista) recycling another issue. And rate increases to add to the mix. Sorry guys to many must and should haves before your museum


Dreams are made of this.

Posted on 17-04-2018 13:20 | By Bobby2

Do I now notice a seemingly deliberate pull away from the Cultural and Historical aspect, with science and the natural world now being pushed more towards the forefront? Sorry, but I don't buy it for a second. The chances of a TGA museum being able to offer science exhibits anything remotely on the scale and professionalism of Te Papa is not realistic. All I need do is take a walk Downtown to remind myself of this. We have a city of 135 000+ people, with visitors from all over the world, and our seasonal Christmas decorations comprise of some tinsel wrapped around a few benches, and a handful of old discoloured ornaments hung from the odd rusty lampost. The Welcome Bay Vet does a better Christmas display than all of Tauranga City Council put together. Sorry, I'm off topic now.


Culture, history, science and nature,

Posted on 18-04-2018 09:09 | By R. Bell

are critical components of proper education. We as a community owe it to our children to help provide as much as possible. All of the disparaging comments below come from people who constantly criticise our dysfunctional youth, never offering solutions other than "lock em up" always whinging about a few dollars. A museum will not provide a magic cure, but can be the start of a process that provides inspiration and interest. It can be the start of an attractive City Centre, providing more job opportunity. The iconic French Museum The Louvre opened a brand new billion dollar plus facility in Abu Dhabi last November, target, TOURISM. And no missy we can't compete with that, but we can give it a bloody good nudge. Forget the scare tactics, every city carries inter generational debt. Robin Bell.


Robin in dreamland again

Posted on 18-04-2018 13:18 | By maildrop

The Abu Dhabi "Louvre" is paid for entirely by the ruling Sheikhs and their wealth, not Mohammed Bloggs. You are correct, it is an entirely commercial venture. Now what group of people round here have loads of cash to invest in a commercial venture if they so wished? Mmmm..... You use the "tourism" argument as a reason for having one here, which implies a financial benefit, and that is certainly why the UAE Sheikhs are paying $billions to France. But as we have seen with Te Papa, there isn't a financial benefit, and that is the national showpiece in our capital. So the chances of a museum here making money is nil. Unless we do what UAE is doing.....but I haven't seen many Sheikhs around here, have you?


Waiknot's plan...

Posted on 18-04-2018 15:47 | By morepork

... is genius... (Besides, it made me smile...)


@RobinBell

Posted on 18-04-2018 16:01 | By morepork

What makes you think that the educational essentials you mentioned (and I agree with you) will NOT be provided UNLESS we buy something we can't afford right now? Dismissing posters here as tightfisted or always moaning about expenditure is not really a good argument, when they actually have a point. Because financial mis-management and bad, politically motivated choices are a reality in Tauranga, doesn't mean we have to continue it, and it certainly doesn't mean we can't express our rejection of it.Maybe the proposed museum COULD be a step towards something better for the City. In which case we should be working to reduce the debt and attending to essential projects that affect peoples' lives, so we can AFFORD to get it as part of a properly prioritized list of "desirables" and NOT just: "I wan' it! I wan' it! an' I'll scream until I get it!"


Wake up to reality ,morepork and maildrop.

Posted on 19-04-2018 08:31 | By R. Bell

A museum in the modern context is far more than an educational or money making proposition. Both of you are on record stating the run down dull nature of Tauranga City. Both bemoan the fact that it will cost.Yet no-one yet knows the financial structure of this museum. It will cost, no question,BUT as part of, and probably the centre of a new vibrant city it will have major downstream benefit in business,employment,educational and social change, for a city that has struggled for years to keep up with rapid expansion.Call me a dreamer if you like, but so was the man who built the "useless"Eifell Tower that now brings in billions to the French economy. Shunned by investors,rubbished by his fellow Parisians BUT "he who laughed last, laughed longest". Have you passed the book lately maildrop? Robin Bell.


Dreamer

Posted on 19-04-2018 14:35 | By maildrop

I hope this is not one those stories where you get last say, though I suppose it is a perk of the job. Have you grasped the difference between your and you're yet?


Reality check

Posted on 19-04-2018 14:45 | By maildrop

You've brought the oil and cash rich UAE, and the capital of the 5th largest economy in the world as examples of why little old Tauranga must have a museum. Hello, wakey wakey Robin. Have you grasped your and you're yet?


A real, reality check for maildrop.

Posted on 19-04-2018 17:26 | By R. Bell

The French didn't get there by accident, they are recognised as the leading cultural centre of the world, they lead the world in tourism. To do that they had to start somewhere. That is what we can do. Or do you want to stagnate with your pockets full? Would you prefer to whinge for the rest of your life? Our young people deserve better than that, any pain in the pocket fades into insignificance compared to the alternative you ignore, for the sake of a couple of bucks a week. Geeze. How pathetic. Robin Bell.


Robin

Posted on 19-04-2018 19:09 | By maildrop

My pockets are far from full and I pay hefty Rates. I haven't got a crown payout stashed away waiting for the right investment. YOU want a museum to highlight culture and history, so dip into your full pockets and open one if it's such a good crowd puller.


THE real reality check

Posted on 19-04-2018 19:31 | By maildrop

The French "got there" like Britain, sailing round the world and bopping the natives on the head, before taking their women and resources, teaching them fair play and sports, and building an empire. That's why THEY can have museums and show off their history and culture. And tourists lap it up because they know it's impressive and cultured. That's just the way it is I'm afraid. "NZ culture", if I can call it that, will never be more than an amuse bouche (get that?) to the real reason tourists come here: sun, beaches, mountains, thrills and spills. You cannot compete with them so don't waste our money trying.


That's funny

Posted on 19-04-2018 19:40 | By maildrop

The French started by going round the world and teaching uncivilised breeds how to wear clothing and hold cutlery before taking their women and valuables. They built an empire and culture, which is why they can have museums. That's just the way it is. Get over it.


@RobinBell : Reality.

Posted on 20-04-2018 13:45 | By morepork

This is getting silly, Robin. I have never used the words "run down" or "dull" when describing Tauranga; I have said I wouldn't live anywhere else. I've also said I prefer not to go to the CBD at the moment. Neither have I "bemoaned" the fact that the museum will cost; I have simply pointed out that we cannot afford it right now, in my opinion. You have not stated whether you are a Ratepayer or not (I would give you more credence if you were). We don't need an Eiffel Tower or a Louvre. The museum needs to be prioritized against a number of other claims on the city coffers and when that is done, it becomes apparent that it should not be built right now. Most people who live here can see that. Get over it.


@ maildrop

Posted on 22-04-2018 13:16 | By MISS ADVENTURE

Your comments sum it up, sadly the most likely scenario hee is the Master Bell with all is "Wonderful" ideas none of which are sound, none of which he will ever put a penny into... Bell and some others like Dey, live life excpet and in fact demanding handouts, when that happens on an unjustified untruth basis then they seek to propagate that over and over. The path that follows ends up as more and more wild and extravagant claims and demands - all to be paid by someone else. The Museum is in fact a joke, this massive shed will be built to an extraordinary level of architectual wonders and of course be a practical failure. The contents will be minor compared to even Tapapa. There is no culture to show, as you pointed out, that intended to be shown isnt "Historic" and has no historic importance.


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