27-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Ferrymead Heritage Park's funding bid rejected
Ferrymead Heritage Park is looking to the public for continued support after its bid for more than $3 million in funding from Christchurch City Council was rejected.
The park asked for the funding over the next three years as part of the city council's Annual Plan 2025/26.
Said the Ferrymead Trust: 'The park acknowledges the support it receives from Christchurch City Council and recognises the pressure on city council budgets.
"While Ferrymead Heritage Park was not awarded funding in the Annual Plan we have exciting plans for the ongoing development of the park and will be working in partnership with the city council, other organisations and businesses and the park's societies to realise these.'
The park would not expand on its future plans at this stage.
It had asked the city council for between $700,000 and $1.2m a year for the next three years.
The park has also applied for strengthening communities funding from the council. It has received a total of $1.5m from this fund over the past 10 years.
Heathcote city councillor Sara Templeton said she expected the funding to continue.
The park will find out in the next six to eight weeks whether it has been successful, said Ferrymead Heritage Park general manager Ian France.
He said the majority of the park's funding comes from admissions.
France was appreciative of the public's support and hopes it will continue.
'We will keep the park going with whatever income we have,' he said.
The park is also trying to attract more volunteers. It has been struggling in recent years, with earthquake-prone buildings it still cannot afford to fix.
It wanted to hire more staff, develop more exhibits and enhance its existing ones, and boost its marketing to promote itself as a key tourist destination. Currently it does not have the money to do this.
Templeton said the park's submission was not discussed in the formal Annual Plan meeting, but was raised in workshops.
'There's a range of things that we should have looked at in the Annual Plan that weren't part of the process. Ferrymead is one of those,' she said.
Templeton said city councillors were told to bring amendments up at the end of the Annual Plan process, which did not lend itself to good discussions.
She attributed the submission's rejection to the pressure on funding.
'I'm definitely still keen to work with the park and see what we can do and having a conversation with the wider community next year would be more useful,' said Templeton.
She cited the Air Force Museum of New Zealand as an example.
The museum was given $5m as part of the Annual Plan after going through a consultation process, two years after its initial submission.
'It's not easy when there's so much pressure on for so many groups and the team at Ferrymead Heritage Park do a lot of amazing work on very little money and it's really appreciated,' said Templeton.
