Napier City Council makes decisions on Aquatic Redevelopment Project consultation

Published: 10 March 2022

Last Updated: 14 March 2022

Napier City Council today voted on when and how community consultation on the Aquatic Redevelopment Project should take place.

Council voted 12-1 to undertake community consultation on the project in two phases. The first phase will be completed before July 2022 and the second phase will take place in 2023.

Consultation options in the first phase will ask the community for their views on their preferred location, existing design and indicative costs of the new aquatic facility options. The two locations will be either Onekawa Park or the Tamatea Drive/Prebensen Drive site. This consultation will feature construction of the same design that was proposed for Tamatea/Prebensen Drive in the 2018-28 Long Term Plan. Council will not indicate a preferred option in this consultation.

The second phase of consultation in 2023 will ask the community for their views on a finalised design, the timing of the project and how it should be funded. It will be included as a Long Term Plan Amendment to the 2021-2031 LTP, to be adopted by 30 June 2023.

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise says a two-phased consultation will give the community the chance to share their views on all aspects of the project.

“Escalating costs are a real risk, but it’s important to honour Council’s commitment to let the community have full input into the future of Napier’s aquatic facilities.”

“Providing the community with an opportunity to look at the design is a vital part of this process. The two-staged consultation approach creates the space to make this happen,” says Mayor Wise.

Council also directed officers to explore modifications to reduce costs prior to the second stage of consultation.

Council also endorsed an additional $4m of loan-funded capital funding, to be included in the Annual Plan 2022/23 to address essential works on the existing aquatic centre, noting the benefits having an aquatic centre brings to the community.

If Onekawa Park is ultimately not chosen as the aquatic facility site location, then consultation on the future of this space will take place at a later time.

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