Contract secured to scope Eastern Coromandel Community Arts facility
The Steering Committee exploring a Te Whanganui o Hei | Mercury Bay arts facility is excited to announce the appointment of Christine Ennis of CME Consulting who has been awarded the contract to carry out an arts facility feasibility study for the Mercury Bay and Eastern Coromandel area. This is the next step in a move closer to planning for a community arts facility that could service not only Mercury Bay, but also the communities of the Eastern seaboard of the Coromandel.
Acting on behalf of the Arts Facility Steering Committee, earlier this year He Mana Toi Moehau Trust | Creative Coromandel was successful in an application to Lottery Community Facilities Fund and received a grant to carry out the arts facility feasibility study. Consultant Christine Ennis comes with a wealth of experience and knowledge in the arts field with more than a decade of experience developing feasibility studies for arts-related projects.
She says “ It is so important to get the groundwork right to achieve the best outcome for a project to progress and succeed in attracting funding support. Thorough planning is essential to identify, through engagement with the local community, the key needs, benefits, issues, and opportunities that a project such as the Community Arts Facility offers. I am very much looking forward to working with the Steering Committee and the Te Whanganui o Hei/Mercury Bay arts community on this exciting project.”
Christine has been engaged to scope and provide a report which explores the need for and viability of the construction, governance and operation of a flexible, public arts facility in the Mercury Bay area. The study will include analysis of:
● the size and scale of the project.
● a discussion of the current situation and what is needed.
● options to deal with existing problems.
● comments on risks and benefits of each option.
● comments on the best option/s
● an outline of the planned approach
Local art supporters - including schools, arts groups, local and central government , businesses and individuals – are invited for feedback at upcoming meetings
We warmly invite those who are interested and supportive of the arts in our community to engage with us during this process. As well as establishing what the community needs of an arts centre are, we want to know the level of support for the potential project…” says Jan Wright, District Arts Manager for Creative Coromandel and member of the Arts Facility Steering Committee.
All of the feedback from the community will be collected into a final report that Christine produces and recommendations will go back to the Steering Committee to progress.
Dates for public hui have been confirmed for:
Tairua/Pauanui/Whangamatā: 3pm-5pm, 6 September, Tairua Golf Club Whitianga #1: 9.15am-11.15am, 7 September, Whitianga Town Hall; and Whitianga #2: 4.30pm-6.15pm, 7 September, Whitianga Town Hall
Continued support and funding sought: Due to only partial success of the application to Lottery Community Facilities Fund for the feasibility study, the Steering Committee is actively seeking assistance from any interested businesses, groups or individuals to provide support, both financial or in-kind, for the study. The Committee would welcome any sponsorship, donation, fundraising partnership. No matter how large or small, please contact the Steering Committee at info@creativecoromandel.co.nz.