savethepoint.org.nz

Submissions due by 5 p.m., 20 May 2005

Wellington City Council is seeking public submissions on their support of an application by the Trustees of the Aquarium of New Zealand, for an increase to an interest-free loan from Council, from $4.5 million to $7 million. This loan is repayable over 25 years, and the cost of the interest for year 1 along will be $490,000 (Councillor Armstrong, Southern Ward meeting, 2 May '05).

Copies of the Plan and submission forms

Hardcopies can be obtained from all public libraries or by phoning WCC: 499 4444, or can be viewed on the council website

Alternatively, click here for an extract from the council's summary document.

Submissions can be made:

• Online on council's website.
• By using the submission form attached. Post to: Wellington City Council, Box 2199, Wellington
• Copies can also be downloaded from the WCC site above
• By direct email to: baz.kaufman@wcc.govt.nz

Submission issues

• Object to Council's proposed $7 million interest-free loan and the escalation of the total rates levy on individual ratepayers. The average increase of 7% in rates across the city will in fact be less or more on an individual basis. Some of us could be paying 10% more on our rates. This does not match increases in our household income and is untenable.
• Council has already given its support to the proposal to build an Aquarium on the south coast without proper consultation with the public. It has not informed the public of the current nature of the proposed Aquarium of New Zealand which has changed in content, scale and purpose over the years and does not resemble the initial proposal. A formal consultation process needs to be gone through to obtain this consent after fully informing the public.
• Council has given approval for a major urban development proposal to be located on Te Raekaihau Point on the seaward side of the road on Wellington.s south coast. All development of our coast on the seaward side of the coast is opposed. Existing legislation prohibiting this must be respected and not waived.
• The proposed Aquarium is not a community facility like the Aquatic centre and is effectively a quasi-commercial, tourist oriented recreational entity (required to buy and sell its goods and services for its survival). Disagree strongly with the scale of Council investment of $7 million in an interest-free loan in such an entity.
• Council does not have a mandate to increase our debt and therefore rates levy on proposals that benefit tourism objective on such a large scale when the core business of council is underfunded. For example weed eradication, Otari Plant museum, domestic rubbish collection (paid for additionally by rate payers)