"At the moment we're on a short-term lease and we've got no guarantees of any security. We could actually have to leave town."
Tauranga City Council has commissioned a report from its property division examining options for the marine precinct, which the council expects to have available for discussion early next week, said Mayor Stuart Crosby.
"We have secured $5 million from the Regional Council Economic Development Fund for developing the area," said Mr Crosby. "The report is based around how, and if, council will proceed with regard to the marine precinct."
He said the report would offer options for developing the area that would retain access for established marine businesses in the marine precinct, such as WWB, Don Mattson's Hutcheson Boatbuilders, and the fishing boats.
Established in 2000, WWB's recent projects have included providing support for the Rena salvage, dredging at the Tauranga Bridge Marina and in Coromandel. It has undertaken supply trips for Department of Conservation workers at isolated Raoul Island in the Kermadecs, as well as other survey, patrol, towing, filming and diving services for clients, especially in the oil and gas sector in New Zealand and in Asia.
The company is also finalising the certification process to be an approved contractor for inspecting and maintaining the moorings in Tauranga Harbour, Whakatane and Ohiwa, work done for some years solely by Sea Quest Marine (see sidebar).
"We do an interesting mix of stuff," said Mr Kelly.
"In terms of getting new business, we pretty much rely on our reputation."
David Donohue, managing director of IXSURVEY Australia, said his company - which also worked in Australia and Europe - had relied on a close working relationship with Mr Kelly and his highly experienced team since it started operations in 2008.
"In that time, WWB has partnered with IXSURVEY for numerous significant nautical charting surveys undertaken on behalf of LINZ," he said.
"These surveys have included the survey of Fiordland National Park, Great Barrier Island, Chatham Islands, and more recently surveys undertaken between Christchurch and Dunedin," he said. "We believe that the quality and utility of vessels offered by WWB and the significant willingness of the WWB staff to help make each and every project a success, has contributed significantly to our success with the LINZ survey projects,"
Mr Donohue noted that while of the New Zealand coastline had been adequately surveyed, there was scope to resurvey much of it to today's standards with modern swath mapping sonars and also to survey many areas for the first time, which provided benefits including increased navigational safety for all vessels and increased knowledge for science and environmental management purposes.
Mr Kelly is a Bay of Plenty local, brought up on Ohakana Island in the Ohiwa Harbour, and has an extensive and varied nautical background.
He initially became a leading hand and electronics technician in the Royal New Zealand Navy, then the chief engineer for Sir Peter Blake's schooner Seamaster, fished out of the bay for a time, then worked as a shipbroker in Auckland before setting up WWB.
The company employs 12 permanent and contracted staff, but numbers fluctuate according to work flow. However, the continuing short-term leases are a problem. When the newly elected Tauranga City Council team was taken on an induction tour of local businesses late last year, Mr Kelly raised the lease issue with them.
"Our business is very unique and hopefully Tauranga wants to keep us."
