Despite a visit from New Zealand's chief treaty negotiator, the saga of Wanganui's former UCOL Fitness Centre drags on.
The Office of Treaty Settlements' chief negotiator, John Wood, and negotiations and settlement manager Justine Smith had separate meetings with both the tenderers for the gym on Wednesday.
They returned to Wellington saying that a decision could be made toward the end of next week.
Tenders for the Wanganui gym complex closed on January 7. Everyone hoped the successful entity would be chosen quickly and the gym would be running again by the end of that month.
The two tenderers are frustrated by the delay.
Wanganui Rugby Union had the highest tender, chief executive Dale Cobb said.
It wants to lease the facility for at least three years and keep it running as a gym. Many of its players used the place, and US players would need it during their six-day Rugby World Cup training in September.
The rugby union could also move its office into the building at 32 Wilson St.
Mr Cobb said he believed it would be possible to make the enterprise break even, especially with the advice of the business people on the union's board.
All the gym equipment was still there and would have to be bought from UCOL. The Office of Treaty Settlements would consider three things to make its decision: a good sum of money for the lease; community engagement; iwi engagement.
"It will not be determined purely on commercial consideration," Mr Cobb said.
The rugby union hadn't addressed iwi engagement, but many of its players were Maori and Pacific Islanders and it could cover that later.
The other tender was a combined one from Sport Wanganui and Tupoho Whanau Trust.
Sport Wanganui chief executive Danny Jonas said the two groups wanted to keep the gym going as it had been before UCOL closed the doors at the end of January.
They wanted a six-year lease and would need to break even financially.
Running the facility would fit with the organisations' aims to boost residents' sport and health.
They had the iwi engagement side covered through their combined approach.
Sport Wanganui hires contractors to run Wanganui's Splash Centre.
Mr Jonas said running the gym would be similar, but would be done in-house.
Staff would report back to a combined board.
Getting the gym back up and running with no staff and fewer members would be difficult but both parties still want to win the lease and benefit Wanganui people.
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