The councillors say

Diane Calvert:

‘‘It’s very early days yet . . . WellingtonNZ are receiving bookings for [the centre] even now. I’ve had advice that it still has quite a bit of validity as a small convention event centre. It can be used in many different ways, and I’ll never say never. But nothing as yet suggests we need to replan.’’

Jennie Condie:

‘‘I’ve asked officers to prepare updated advice about how they think Covid-19 might impact on the financial estimates in the centre’s business case. I’m open to the idea of repurposing it. I’ve certainly asked about whether it could house the city library.’’

Fleur Fitzsimons:

‘‘I just think it’s sensible to consider all options for the convention centre. I think the library needs to be a part of this – Wellington is really missing the central library. It might not be the right location but I think we should at least not rule it out.’’

Laurie Foon:

‘‘I am open to repurposing the convention centre if required. However, I am committed to making sure Wellington has fit-for-purpose spaces to keep the capital a first choice for people to come and do business here.’’

Jill Day:

‘‘From my perspective, Wellington does need some sort of convention facility. Last year, we had the Local Government New Zealand conference in Wellington in the TSB Arena . . . [There were] pigeons flying around it and one [defecated] on someone, so we do

need a facility to host significant large groups.’’

Rebecca Matthews:

‘‘I haven’t really heard anybody saying they want a convention centre, so I’m very interested in seeing if the business case stacks up post-Covid and if we can repurpose it, particularly for the library.’’

Teri O’Neill:

‘‘Pending some pretty good business cases, I would totally support the repurposing of the convention centre.’’

Iona Pannett:

‘‘I’m open to alternatives but piles are in the ground, contracts have been signed.’’

Tamatha Paul:

‘‘There’s a real gap in Wellington City in the way of medium-sized venues. We constantly lose international acts and musicians. We have nothing medium-sized to attract those kind of artists.’’

Sarah Free:

‘‘It’s actually the business community paying the lion’s share of the money to build it. People have said: ‘Why can’t you

[have] a library there?’ But the building’s location, design and funding are all about the opportunity to promote Wellington’s economy with a modern, high-quality space for small to medium conventions.’’

Sean Rush:

‘‘If we’ve got an asset that’s not being utilised fully, the smart thing is to reconfigure it.’’

Malcolm Sparrow:

‘‘Things have changed a lot. We may end up completing it for the purpose it was intended for, but that may or may not be the most sensible way to go.’’

Simon Woolf:

‘‘We do have to be careful because we committed some time ago . . . Bearing in mind our partners are good Wellingtonians, you would hope that they could see what was happening and perhaps help us adapt.’’

Nicola Young:

‘‘It’s quite a flexible space but let’s not muck around with it because it’ll just increase the costs. If it doesn’t work for conferences, then we’ll have to look at it again.’’