Funding approved for regional amenities
Auckland Council’s Finance and Performance Committee today unanimously approved the levy for funding Auckland’s regional amenities for the 2021-2022 financial year (1 July 2020 – 30 June 2022).
In total, a levy of $15,435,500 has been approved to fund eight Auckland regional amenities under the Regional Amenities Funding Act. This represents a five per cent increase from the 2020-2021 levy however last years requested seven per cent did not go ahead due to the financial impact of COVID-19 and the resulting Emergency Budget.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said the council was proud to support Auckland’s museums and the organisations supported by the Regional Amenities Funding Act.
“These are critical amenities for Auckland that help make our city a better place to live, work and visit,” he said.
“I acknowledge and thank the institutions for cooperating with Auckland Council to constrain their expenditure following the loss of income council suffered as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, so that we can continue to support these important institutions while managing the financial impact of the pandemic.”
Finance and Performance Committee Chair Councillor Desley Simpson agreed.
“I would like to acknowledge the attitude and approach of both the Funding Board and the regional amenities. This levy request is less than half of what could be requested (which is a maximum of 2 per cent of the council’s rates income), showing a restrained approach that has been adopted.
“The last 12 months have been extremely difficult for our regional amenities. Reduced visitors, reduced income and reduced opportunities have meant some difficult decisions have had to be made. But these are precious amenities for Auckland and its people, so we appreciate that some increases are unavoidable.
“He waka eke noa, we are all in this together.”
The Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Board grant allocations:
- Auckland Festival Trust - $4,037,000
- Auckland Philharmonia Trust - $3,757,000
- Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust - $450,000
- Auckland Theatre Company Ltd - $1,920,000
- Drowning Prevention Auckland-WaterSafe Auckland Incorporated - $1,075,000
- New Zealand Opera Limited - $1,100,000
- Stardome - Auckland Observatory and Planetarium Trust Board - $1,440,500
- Surf Life Saving Northern Region Incorporated - $1,366,000
MOTAT and Auckland Museum annual funding contributions
In addition to agreeing a levy for the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Board, the Finance and Performance Committee also agreed annual funding contributions for MOTAT and the Auckland Museum.
MOTAT’s annual funding contribution of $15,635,107 is less than what it received from Council in 2019/20 and Auckland Museum requested and was approved $32,292,000, a nil increase from 2020/21.