File photo. Wellington Town Hall. Photo: Wellington City Council
Wellington councillors have agreed to pour more money into repairing the Town Hall to meet the potential final refurbishment cost of around $330 million.
The 120-year-old Town Hall has been closed since 2013, after being deemed earthquake-prone in 2009.
Costs for quake strengthening and refurbishment have ballooned since, and costs for stopping the work and demolishing the building were not much cheaper.
After many hours of discussion on Wednesday, councillors voted in favour of continuing with the restoration.
The decision was made reluctantly by some.
Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau told councillors she was not happy about the $252 million to $329m spend needed to complete the project.
"We are currently facing a number of financial challenges. This isn't a welcome decision for us to face at a time like this. I understand the frustration that councillors and Wellingtonians are feeling about this. I feel the same".
But the mayor said losing the Town Hall would be a huge blow, so said she had to vote yes.
"We are the creative capital of Aotearoa, a beautiful city bustling with people, ideas, events and businesses. Finishing the Town Hall is part of delivering that vision. Future generations of Wellingtonians will thank us for persevering and making the hard call now for the future."
There were four options for the Town Hall presented by council officers at the meeting on Wednesday.
The recommended option was to continue to completion by council increasing funding by between $70-$147m to a total cost of up to $329m.
The other options were to close the site at a cost $204m, demolish the building for more than $243m, or seek government funding for 204m.
Outgoing councillor and new Green Party MP Tamatha Paul said there was only one option.
"The decision in front of us today is whether we carry on at the same cost or we end up with nothing at the same cost."
Councillor Tim Brown pointed to stakeholder fundraising that had already taken place to get the Town Hall project over the line.
"Kerry Prendergast's team have raised over $30m for the Music School which is a truly extraordinarily large amount of money for private donors and shows the level of financial commitment that people have got to this project."
The Town Hall complex will also house the New Zealand School of Music and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Former mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast has spearheaded fundraising efforts with $32m promised so far to help pay for the fit-out for this.
NZSO chief executive Peter Biggs said having a national music centre would put Wellington right up there with cultural city hubs like Vienna, Shanghai, Berlin and New York.
"It's been a long time coming and we are enormously grateful to the Wellington City Council for their commitment to provide us with a permanent and full-time home."
But shops and cafes nearby have missed out on years of foot traffic since the Town Hall closed in 2013.
Retail New Zealand chief executive Carolyn Young said local businesses would be relieved to have certainty.
"The years of disruption are really difficult for local businesses. Just isn't a great look in Wellington. There are so many businesses that are stickered that need to be fixed, especially in that area of town."
The final vote passed today with 13 councillors voting in favour and three voting against.
Wellington City Council is working towards a 2027 completion date for the Town Hall.
