Dunedin city councillors will consider whether they should release $50,000 to keep the hall open until June next year, providing a six-month lifeline while longer-term options are weighed up.
Cr Sophie Barker has put forward a notice of motion for council meetings next week, asking that the council authorise spending from the Ara Toi budget to keep the facility open.
The hall of fame has been housed at the Dunedin Railway Station since 1999, but has operated on modest funding from Sport New Zealand, a rent rebate from the city council, heavy reliance on chief executive Ron Palenski and goodwill from athletes sharing memorabilia.
Sport NZ’s funding of $100,000 a year is due to run out at the end of this year and the hall appears to be facing at least temporary closure if the council does not intervene.
The facility might also be lost to another city.
City council staff had said they did not intend to produce a report on the matter.
However, Cr Barker has requested a council staff report on options and costs to integrate the hall of fame into Dunedin City Council’s museums, art galleries and attractions department.
If councillors agree, this would be considered at a 10-year plan meeting in January.
Cr Barker has also requested a staff report in December next year to consider the potential of an integrated museums and visitors attraction structure within the council.
Cr Lee Vandervis made similar suggestions at a meeting in August.
Cr Barker said she wanted to see what could be done to keep the hall in Dunedin.
"I don’t want to see us lose another visitor attraction," she said.
"It’s part of the fabric and heritage of our city."
Cr Barker said options needed to be considered thoughtfully and the prospect of closure was unlikely to help this.
Otago Museum director Ian Griffin has said attracting funding for museums and the hall of fame is a tough gig.
Between them, Dunedin’s facilities had a wealth of history, but he did not think suggestions such as housing the hall within the museum could work, because of a lack of room and they were not a natural fit.
Covid-19 had also affected visitor numbers and it was a challenge for some operations to find a sustainable path forward.
Dr Griffin said Dunedin was blessed to have a range of treasures accessible to the public.
- Reporter Grant Miller gets an inside look at the hall of fame’s treasures — in tomorrow’s Otago Daily Times.
