Petone wharf repair millions 'could be used to build water-based sports hub'
Friday, 22 February 2019
The $8 million needed to refurbish the Petone wharf would better be used to build a water-based sports hub, says former All Black captain and Lower Hutt identity Andy Leslie.
The landmark wharf is infested with toredo worms, was smashed in the Kaikōura earthquake and has piles that sway in the wind.
The Hutt City Council plans to demolish a 46 metre section of the 393mwharf and repair the remaining section in 2031.
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In 2017, the cost of fixing wharves in the city was estimated at $7.5m but that figure is now about $15m.
The future of the Petone wharf has been giving councillors a headache since 2015, when its poor condition became apparent.
Leslie suggests retaining a section of the wharf for fishing and building a sports hub with a cafe and gym.
Petone Rowing Club Vice President Caroline Robertson likes the idea of a water-based sports hub.
The club had 100 members and raising money to maintain buildings was becoming increasingly difficult, she said.
That sentiment was shared by James Selwood of the Wellington Waterski Club. Its building on the Petone foreshore needed a lot of work and he said the club's decreasing membership made that challenging.
Waka ama too is looking for a base.
Star Olsen of Kokiri Marae Tai-Patu Waka Ama Club said the sport, which enabled young Māori to reconnect with their culture, was growing rapidly.
Spending millions on a wharf seemed hard to justify when the money could be much better spent on a sports hub benefiting young people, he said.
Petone based city councillor Tui Lewis liked the idea of a sports hub but not at the cost of letting the wharf rot.
'What Andy (Leslie) is suggesting is bigger than Texas. The simplicity of the wharf is what makes it attractive … you can get away from things in the middle of the harbour.'
Generations of people had fished from the wharf and enjoyed it, and Lewis was adamant it was worth saving.
While the estimated cost of saving and repairing the entire wharf could runs to tens of millions she believed it was what the public wanted.
Strategic advisor Bruce Hodgins said the council looked at a water sports hub in 2015 at a conceptual level but no money was allocated.
It was not as straight forward as using the wharf money for a hub. The wharf was in poor condition and the council had an obligation to make it safe.
It was also a heritage structure and removing it would require resource consent.
City services manager Matt Reid said a water sports hub had the potential to be a 'massive asset' for the city. He was aware it had strong support from local Maori and he hoped it could be part of a wider plan to rejuvenate the Petone foreshore.
It was unrealistic, however, to suggest that a hub should be built at the expense of retaining the wharf.
Heretaunga Yacht Club President Ruth Fletcher was luke warm on a hub. She would, however, like to see some thought go in to the repairs so the wharf was more user friendly for recreational uses such as paddle sailing and ocean swimming.