Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Wharf upgrade in early days
A project hoped to boost Kaiko¯ ura’s tourism offerings is in the planning stages, the council’s chief executive says.
The Kaiko¯ ura Marina Redevelopment Programme will turn part of Wakatu Quay, between the Esplanade and the seal colony, into a commercial, retail and hospitality hub intended to boost the town’s tourism offerings.
The project was granted a $10 million injection by the provincial growth fund last month.
The proposal was made by the Kaiko¯ ura District Council, with $9.88m going towards the design and build of the Wakatu Quay project, and another $1m set aside for a study into how South Bay Harbour and surrounding areas could be improved.
Kaiko¯ura District Council chief executive Angela Oosthuizen said the council was in the stages of the ‘‘development’’.
‘‘There will still be a period of engagement with the various representatives to finalise what it would look like,’’ Oosthuizen said.
The land air marked for the development was council owned and the buildings were returned to council ownership just over a year ago, Oosthuizen said.
‘‘We’re not quite sure whether it will remain in council ownership, that’s all part of what we have to work through in the next couple of months,’’ she said.
‘‘We need to decide what’s going to be there and if there is going to be any investors alongside us, and then part of that model is to work out what the ownership structure will look like and how that is all going to work.’’
The design of the Wakatu Quay development would celebrate the link between Kaiko¯ura and its marine environment, and include dining, retail and local cultural elements.
Oosthuizen said at present, the council was in the process of comprising a timeline of what needed to occur over the next two years.
‘‘We’ll work out what the engagement process is going to look like, making sure we involve the right stake holders and engage with the community. Then it’s really the process of going through the concept, details and design.’’
She said once it was all finalised, construction would start.
‘‘So it’s a really exciting opportunity, something that Kaiko¯ura would have liked to develop with the grant.
‘‘The secondary grant which is the $1.1m for the feasibility on the harbour, is also an exciting opportunity to be able to look at what future ways we could develop one of our principal assets, because that is one of the cornerstones of our marine tourism.’’
She said it was a positive that the asset could give some return to council and create jobs in the region.
A financial report released in October warned the council would need to keep operating costs to a minimum to survive the next five years, as the smallest district council in mainland New Zealand recovering from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in 2016.