HB Fishing club to plead its case with council

One of Hawke's Bay's biggest sports clubs will made a plea to keep the club afloat today.

One of Hawke's Bay's biggest sports clubs is going to the Napier City Council today with a plea it hopes will keep the club afloat in financial times that threaten the futures of sports organisations throughout New Zealand.

Hawke's Bay Sports Fishing Club members are being told it's "make or break" time for the club, with a message on its Facebook page saying: "The council are guarantors of our loan until the end of the month, after that is anyone's guess."

The club, which has about 1000 members and associate members, occupies council reserve land, as it has done since forming over 50 years ago. It built its ramp and Iron Pot marina.

Club president Alex Smith said that with significant increasing costs but declining income "we have to change the way we operate," and a proposal is being put to the council to "help make it more sustainable."

Such things as the costs of maintaining the ramp and the marina are understood to be among the burdens for the club. Like other sports clubs it has endured downturns through the declining pool of funds from gambling trusts, the splintering of bar trade because of toughened drink-driving and anti-smoking legislation, and specific to the club, declining fish stocks in Hawke Bay.

Mr Smith said the council has been helpful in the past, and he knows the council needs to be fair to all clubs.

"We would like to be a partner with the council," he said, but he was unable to reveal details before the presentation to the council meeting today.

Ironically, the wider value of the club's waterside facilities was seen yesterday as hundreds of cruise ship passengers were transported between ship and shore by lighters after the liner Oosterdam was unable to berth at the Port of Napier.