Mr Jones, the man in charge of the Government's $1 billion regional economic development fund, was in Dunedin on Tuesday for meetings to discuss whether the city's harbourside vision could tap into the fund.
He met businessman Ian Taylor and architect Damien van Brandenburg to view models of the development and visit Steamer Basin, before dining with Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull to discuss the project and the regional fund.
Mr Jones said yesterday he was ''quite overwhelmed'' by the waterfront plan.
''Something in Dunedin of such a scale is - the word that comes to mind is epochal.
''It represents, in my view, ushering in a whole new phase, or epoch, of Dunedin.
''I've never seen anything in any other provincial city approaching the scale of what was depicted to me.''
It was too soon to commit to funding, ''but the project has certainly made a strong impression on me'', he said.
As a result, Mr Jones had told Mr Cull a co-ordinated governance group was needed as a central point of contact, representing the project's promoters as well as landowners, councils and other stakeholders.
Mr Jones had also asked for fortnightly updates ahead of the regional development fund's next funding round in September, and expected to see a proposal to help pay for the project on his desk by then.
And, ''sooner rather than later'', he wanted a meeting between Dunedin's representatives and himself, Economic Development Minister David Parker, Finance Minister Grant Robertson, Transport Minister Phil Twyford and their officials, to discuss what the Crown can do ''to help move it forward''.
Mr Cull said his meeting had been ''very constructive and positive'', and he was ''quite confident Dunedin is a prime candidate'' for the regional fund.
It was too soon to say what amount of money might be requested, or exactly when, but a bid needed to be done carefully as well as with ''some urgency''.
Work to agree on a ''cohesive, unified mechanism'' to lead waterfront development in the city was close to completion, and an announcement was expected in about a month, he said.
Mr Taylor was also excited to see the project's positive reception, but said the waterfront vision predated the regional development fund and would happen with, or without, its support.
It had already captured the imagination not just of the city, but the country, in part because it was not just about buildings, he said.
It showed other cities how to work together, and it would also help prepare Dunedin to be a ''centre of excellence'' for climate change, sea level rise and sustainability, he said.
Related Stories
Comments
Its hideous, they should do something in keeping with the lovely historic buildings for which Dunedin is known.
Sam you can't try and keep it in line with the lovely historic buildings. Singapore has a hotel that was made to look old and it looks like a lego hotel or from the batman movie, what ever is built needs to be far enough away from the the lovely historic building design so it doesn't look like they have tried to copy them. The same as building a 5 star hotel in Dunedin it needs to be designed so it doesn't look like a an old building.
Words fail in describing how ugly that thing is,oh no they don't a pukefest of hideous would describe it perfectly.
@Sam - So you think it is hideous? Fine, that is a matter of opinion to which you are entitled. So what do you suggest is in keeping with what you describe as lovely historic buildings? Surely you don't mean the buildings in the immediate area which are largely dilapidated warehouses and sheds.
Presumably you mean the wider collection of historic buildings in central Dunedin, which are increasingly beautifully restored. If so, I don't see what isn't in keeping with them. What is the problem mixing modern or innovative architectural styles with older ones? Most historic established progressive cities around the world manage this. Not just big ones such as London, Paris, Barcelona, and Berlin, but smaller ones such as Cork, Bruges, Aberdeen and Stuttgart.
The alternative is to consign Dunedin to being a mere museum piece, locked in the past and growth stunted for fear of undermining reminders of past glories.
Does anyone really think any visiting central government politician visiting Dunedin and no doubt seeking to retain votes for his Party is going to say of a local project being promoted, ‘That’s a terrible idea!’ One of the failures of democracy is that what happens can be what people suppose is what the majority think. It seems impolite to throw cold water on other people’s enthusiasm, especially when the enthusiastic people include a successful and socially prominent entrepreneur and an innovative architect. However I fear this city will end up wasting a lot of money on building something ratepayers neither need or can afford because decision- makers are simply AFRAID to be seen negative, lacking in vision and unadventurous and so lose votes. On the contrary, I prefer to vote for city councillors who are financially prudent, realistic and down to earth and get their spending priorities right - which means necessities before luxuries or even pipe-dreams.