Wellington City’s $5m funding for Pacific cultural centre come under intense review

Wellington's long-awaited Fale Malae project faces another setback as councillors review $5 million in promised funding for the national Pacific cultural centre.

The recommendation by a Wellington City Council working group comes nearly a year after the project secured resource consent, and follows the Council's overwhelming support for the development in June 2025.

Fale Malae Trust executive director Ian Pike says trustees were blindsided by the recommendation, which threatens to undermine fundraising efforts for the development at Frank Kitts Park on Wellington's waterfront.

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Pike says the Trust hopes councillors will reaffirm their commitment when they meet on Thursday.

"We were very surprised to learn last week that the Council, or at least an arm of the Council, had made the suggestion that the funding for the Fale Malae, which they had approved virtually unanimously only a little over a year ago, was being reconsidered."

Pike stresses that no decision has been made to withdraw the funding.

Watch video of the Fale Malae project in Wellington below.

The latest development adds to almost a decade of planning, negotiations and financial uncertainty surrounding the project.

In November 2025, the Trust celebrated a major milestone when resource consent was granted for the Pacific-inspired cultural centre. The approval cleared a significant hurdle, allowing the Trust to concentrate on detailed design, fundraising and construction planning.

But Pike says the latest uncertainty threatens that progress.

Fale Malae executive director Ian Pike, left, and Mayor of Wellington Andrew Little. Photos/Supplied.

"Certainty is what we want. Certainty is what we had up until last week. We need to have that restated as soon as tomorrow so that the fundraising can go on with confidence."

He says the Trust has already invested considerable time and resources in planning, design, business cases and stakeholder engagement.

"We make two steps forward, and then you face one going back. So it's been a hard fight."

But Mayor Andrew Little says the Council wants to see both the Fale Malae and the Chinese Garden, a separate project on the waterfront, to proceed as soon as practicable.

“The Chinese Garden is essentially ready to proceed while the Fale Malae project is still fundraising,” Little says.

He says the Council’s $3 million commitment towards resource consent and preparations for demolishing the Frank Kitts carpark remains in place.

Fale Malae Trust chairman Adrian Orr warns that funding uncertainty threatens plans for a permanent home for Pacific culture on Wellington’s waterfront.

The previous council also earmarked up to $5 million for demolition in 2028, with a further $15 million for redevelopment of the surrounding area not available until 2034.

“That raises obvious questions about the timing, and about the cost to ratepayers and inner-city parking if the car park closed years before required funding arrived.

“The Revenue and Financial Value Working Group has proposed reshaping the long-term plan so each project can proceed independently and when it is realistic to do so.”

The Council's contribution is only one part of the project's funding arrangements.

The Government originally committed $10 million through Budget 2020, but halted the remaining funding in Budget 2025.

Pike says approximately $3 million has already been spent on development work, and discussions are continuing with the Government over restoring its commitment.

Fale Malae Trust patron Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban says supporters remain determined to see the project through despite ongoing setbacks. Photo/Supplied

The Trust is also seeking private investment and philanthropic support, but Pike says backing from central and local government is essential to attracting other contributors.

"The cornerstone investors for this development are very much central and local government."

He argues that the Council's $5 million contribution represents a relatively small investment compared with the benefits the project would deliver.

The Trust has also committed to matching the Council's contribution with $5 million towards redeveloping Frank Kitts Park.

In a statement, Trust chairman Adrian Orr criticises the repeated uncertainty surrounding government support.

He says changes to funding commitments undermine long-term investment and make delivering major infrastructure projects more difficult.

Listen to Ian Pike's full interview below.

The Fale Malae is intended to provide a permanent home for Pacific culture, learning, community events and celebrations in the capital.

Its location on Wellington's waterfront would place it alongside other cultural landmarks, including Te Papa and Wharewaka.

Trust patron Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban says supporters remain committed despite the setbacks.

"Our people have carried this vision with patience, persistence and hope. And we will keep doing that."

Pike remains confident the project can proceed, but says the immediate priority is securing certainty from councillors so fundraising can continue.