June 21, 2017
Hundertwasser cash as Whangarei goes marginal
Northland MP and New Zealand First MP Winston Peters is counting the successful conclusion of fundraising for Whangarei's Hundertwasser Art Centre as a political win.
A $3 million lotteries grant was enough to get over the target set by Whangarei District Council to proceed with the project to covert the former Whangarei Harbour Board headquarters into galleries not just for the work of the late Austrian artist but also for Maori contemporary art.
Mr Peters says the project took time to win public support because ratepayers thought they would be stuck with the bill, so it was only fair the city got the same level of public funding as other community assets around the country.
"We made it very clear we would stump up to the level the government has made contributions to other parts of the country, and the last $3 million came from the government the other day. I would put that down to Whangarei is one seriously marginal seat for the next three months," he says.
New Zealand First is expected to stand former Labour cabinet minister Shane Jones in Whangarei against National's Shane Reti.
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