24 Oct 2014

Ratepayers facing $500k bill for sculpture

7:36 pm on 24 October 2014

A sculpture incorporating a giant chandelier proposed for Auckland's waterfront could cost ratepayers about $500,000, although the council is hoping for more donors.

The structure will be housed on Queens Wharf.

The structure will be housed on Queens Wharf. Photo: RNZ

The 4.5-tonne hand-blown light is to be placed inside a six-by-six-metre structure - a lighthouse modelled on a state house - behind The Cloud on Queens Wharf.

The project is expected to cost $1.5 million, of which two-thirds would be gifted by real estate company Barfoot and Thompson.

The Auckland Council's chief operating officer Dean Kimpton, said an image of the structure to house the chandelier, which is based on a house in Mt Albert, will be released at a committee meeting in December.

Mr Kimpton said the council plans to keep to the estimated figure, but the design is still at an early phase.

The sculpture is being designed by Auckland artist Michael Parekowhai.

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