The granddaughter-in-law of Napier businessman and benefactor Sir Russell Pettigrew is hoping for a last-ditch turnaround decision to replace the dolphins at Marineland - despite the likely outcome that it will be rejected. Mayor Barbara Arnott has previously said the council's hands were tied by Government restrictions on replacing dolphins, unlessa petition circulating forced MPs to change their minds. But Rachael Pettigrew, 35, hopes the Napier City Council will do a U-turn and give their backing to paying $10 million to spruce up Marineland so it could house captive-bred bottlenose dolphins. "I grew up in Hamilton but I always knew there were dolphins at Marineland in Napier. And when we moved here, the first thing my 12-year-old nephew said was that he wanted to come and see the dolphins. "I'm wondering if people in Napier have become a bit complacent, and I wonder if they realise what a huge icon they have with the dolphins here. When most New Zealanders think of Napier, they think of dolphins. "If a new company was trying to set up a business here it would have the huge cost of branding. But we already have the branding as this is a 40-year tradition, so it should be kept alive. "I went to see the dolphins at Marineland a couple of years ago, and my 12-year-old daughter Kayleigh swam with them. It was an amazing experience." She said there was a family history behind her interest as her husband Chaye Pettigrew, 33, is Sir Russell Pettigrew's grandson, and his grandfather was the man behind Pettigrew's Penguin Pool, a tourist attraction based in the city about 40 years ago. "I first saw the public meeting advertised in the Hawke's Bay Today and I wanted to see what was happening, so it just went from there. I'm more of an organiser than a doer, so I'm helping to coordinate the petition," she said. Cr Harry Lawson organised a petition to replace Shona, who died two months ago. He has 11,088 signatures so far. Mrs Pettigrew said the Friends of Marineland were also hoping to hold a free open day at the Marine Parade attraction on Sunday. * Submissions to the draft Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) about the future of Marineland were received from former Napier local-authority trading enterprise director Ron Rowe, Stan Simmonds, Megan Welsby, and Marie Harding. They were to be discussed at a full council meeting today at 3pm.
