Napier pool decisions revoked - new council to decide

Over $1 million has already been spent in the first stage of preparing the Prebensen Drive site, before it stalled in 2019. Photo / NZME

Napier City Council has formally revoked aquatic centre resolutions passed just three months ago and set a new path in a shower of reluctance, regret and shame over not being able to get at least the first signs of pools in the ground.

The greatest distress over the rare revocation at a Council meeting came from veteran Taradale Ward member Tania Wright, as the debate goes into a fourth three-year Council term.

Hawke's Bay Today files show the need for new facilities was first raised at the council table at least as long ago as the 2013-2016 term.

Now in her sixth term, with two breaks since first elected in 1995, and not planning to seek re-election in the local elections this year, Wright was the only dissenter.

She urged the council to stand up and decide on a new greenfields site off Prebensen Dr, between Tamatea and Pandora, instead of the more-central Onekawa Park, home of the ageing current Napier Aquatic Centre that councillors have agreed is no longer fit for purpose.

Having in February voted against the ongoing commitment of funds to maintain the Onekawa pools pending a new development likely to be four to five years away, and then on March 10 against the now-revoked resolutions for site-choice public consultation this year and a phase-two new-council consultation on design and cost matters next year, Wright said she was both "frustrated" and "ashamed and disturbed" that the council effort had come to "nothing after all this time."

Her comments were supported by fellow Taradale councillors Graeme Taylor, now ending his third term, and first-term representative and just-announced mayoralty candidate Nigel Simpson, though neither voted against the motion.

They, and others such as fifth-term councillor Keith Price, emphasised that all reports had favoured the Prebensen Dr site.

By the March resolutions the council would have had four weeks of public consultation and likely made a site decision. Now it's with a new 2022-2024 council, possibly with Mayor Kirsten Wise and all but two of the councillors having said or indicated that they will be seeking re-election.

The recommendation will be to establish costings for both sites, amid concerns of the rocketing cost estimates, from a $44 million projection four years ago to a range of $70-100 million and climbing.

Already about $2 million has been spent, including more than half on the first stage of preparing the Prebensen Dr site before work was suspended more than three years ago.

The rising costs prompted Cr Taylor to suggest if the decision was not made the $100 million might soon not buy much more than a "para-pool and a small trampoline."

The council had now learnt of the cost of other complexes, including $36 million at the regional sports park in Hastings, Gisborne's $46 million, and Hornby in Christchurch, with a post-earthquake development costing $36 million. The council proposes taking "another look" at comparisons and what would be achieved at what cost.

First-term Mayor Wise, in her third term on the council, said the council had "come a long way" since citizens' legal action against the way a 2016-2018 council had decided on the Prebensen Rd site.

Although a judicial review favoured the council it suggested a "moral" erring. Her council had gone back to the public, amid the trying times of the November 2019 Napier flood, the Covid-19 pandemic, the Three Waters issues and other local government reform proposals.