Repair or demolish: Call for 'honest' debate on future of Petone wharf

Friday, 22 January 2021

Petone Wharf re-opened for summer in late 2017 after being damaged in the November 2016 earthquake. First published 2018.

It is time for a conversation on the future of the Petone wharf.

The much-loved wharf is currently closed after five piles were damaged in recent earthquakes.

In 2018, the city council budgeted $8 million to repair the wharf, which at 393 metres is one of the longest structures in Wellington Harbour.

The work, however, is not scheduled until 2032 and there is general agreement the cost is likely to be significantly higher. The cost of the current repairs is also unknown.

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Petone Wharf has suffered substantial damage from earthquakes in recent years.

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A cross-section of a pile from Lower Hutt's Petone wharf. The wharf was closed on January 18 after being damaged by earthquakes in late December and early January.

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The wharf is one of the most photographed structures in Wellington Harbour.

Mayor Campbell Barry said the wharf is clearly in poor condition and the council wants to know what the public think about its future.

The work planned for 2032 includes removing the last 50 or so metres of the wharf, a large platform that is popular with fishermen and swimmers.

The Petone wharf gets hammered in southerlies.

A detailed report being prepared by engineers will provide more up-to-date information on the extent of the work required and the likely cost. The council is expecting to get the report soon.

Former city councillor and council critic Max Shierlaw has already called for an “honest” debate on the future of the wharf.

“The Petone wharf is a luxury that no longer can be afforded or justified.”

Barry believes there will be little support for removing the wharf but said more information is needed to make an informed decision.

Earthquakes, marine worms and southerly storms have damaged the piles to the point where some move in the wind.

A report by marine engineers GK Shaw after the latest damage makes grim reading for those who favour repairing and retaining the wharf.

Parts of the structure are riddled with marine worms and a significant number of piles are rated as being in “very poor” or “poor” condition.

Very poor means the piles have already failed or that failure is imminent and that significant work is “urgently” required.

Accurately assessing the state of the piles is not, however, straightforward as the damage done by worms is not always visible.

Barry said politicians are unlikely to favour removing the wharf. He favours getting the work planned for 2032 done as quickly as possible, and he hopes it can be included in this year's Long Term Community Plan.

He believes there is strong community support for retaining and repairing the wharf.

“It is a very much loved piece of Lower Hutt history.”

In 2019 former All Black captain and Petone community stalwart Andy Leslie called for a debate on the wharf. He argued the money required to repair it could be better spent on a sports hub for water sports like waka ama and rowing.

* The first Petone Wharf was built in 1883 for the Gear Meat Company, to enable the refrigerated ship Jubilee to berth safely and load frozen meat for Europe. By 1901 the wharf was dangerously rotten and had to be demolished. The current wharf was built in 1907 from Australian hardwood.