Councillors agreed to the $40,000 purchase of the Eden Hore fashion collection by the Central Otago District Council yesterday, but sought assurance a management plan would be set up for it.
They agreed it was a significant collection but were concerned about the unknown ongoing cost of maintaining it, which could be expensive.
John and Margaret Steele, owners of the collection asked the council to buy the collection, as they had sold their farm, Glenshee Park. Mr Steele is a nephew of Mr Hore.
They wanted the collection to stay together, preferably in Naseby or Maniototo, but accepted the possibility it might move to Clyde or Alexandra.
The ''nationally significant'' collection included gowns and accessories from the 1970s-90s, collected by Mr Hore, and represents a ''unique slice of New Zealand's couture fashion which cannot be found anywhere else in the country'', council community development manager Rebecca McElrea said.
''This $40,000 will not be the first and only money you seek from council [for this collection],'' Martin McPherson said.
''I'm concerned about what it's going to cost us in the future ... it could run into the tens of thousands of dollars.''
Council community services manager Anne Pullar said other parties, including Te Papa, were interested in buying the collection.
She said Alexandra's Central Stories Museum had space to store the collection in the interim and was interested in including WoolOn competition garments in any display, as they were ''a continuation of the story''.
Mrs McElrea had discussed funding arrangements with the Lotteries Commission which was agreeable to helping fund a building to house the collection, possibly in Naseby.
Councillors agreed to the purchase but added a provision that a business plan be created that laid out future options for the management of the collection and its ownership.
Crs Barry Becker, Neil Gillespie and Gordon Stewart were absent and Jeff Hill voted against the purchase.
