Christchurch, New Zealand - September 16 2019: The Arts Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand. Once home the the Civic Creche Photo: Chris Putnam
It may be time for the Christchurch's Art Centre to get new trustees, the mayor says.
The Art Centre's trustees have asked the council for almost $2 million to ensure the heritage building in central Christchurch can stay operating.
The Arts Centre is governed by an Act of Parliament, and Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger says the trustees' interpretation of that Act is too narrow.
He said that the Arts Centre did not have an asset management plan or a sustainable operating model, and needs to operate more as a commercial entity.
"If the current trustees can't or don't want to develop an operating model consistent with a fuller understanding of the Act it is time we got some other trustees. We've got to look at something different."
Mauger said, for instance, he would like the Trust to look at passing on the costs of rates and insurance to tenants.
Christchurch's Arts Centre director Philip Aldridge said the mayor was wrong to say the Arts Centre was not being run as a commercial entity.
He said the nature of heritage buildings was that it was impossible to pass on all of the costs, but the tenancies did pay market rates.
"We've actually maximised the revenue that we get from the site. I'm not quite sure how you can be more commercial than being fully tenanted at full market rates."
Any new trustees would face the same issues the current trustees were facing, he said.
Former Christchurch mayor Garry Moore also weighed in on the dispute.
Moore, who was Christchurch mayor from 1998 to 2007, said the mayor should not be criticising the trustees, and instead should work to bring people together.
He said the problems were very technical, and the mayor should be doing what he can to help the council understand the issues at hand.
"The mayor should play a leading role in getting all parties talking to each other, and rubbishing trustees is a mistake. He shouldn't be doing it."
Moore said the Arts Centre trustees have just overseen the largest rebuild of heritage buildings in New Zealand, and delivered it on time and within budget.