I am very grateful to those who took the time to submit. It does make a difference.
Most people have said just get on with it (77 per cent), others have said stop now (15 per cent), and even fewer have said we should pause (8 per cent).
More than 3000 submissions came from our neighbouring districts and there was an even higher level of support from them as well.
As elected members, we need to turn up to Thursday's council meeting with an open mind, willing to weigh up all the information before us. As I have often said, an open mind is not an empty mind, but none of us can come to the meeting with a pre-determined position.
What we will need to consider on Thursday are:
• The views of our communities, as represented by the consultation.
• Updated information on the bid for a design and construct contract, including where the risks lie.
• The impacts on rates and our debt to revenue ratios.
• The ongoing costs of the day-to-day running of the arena.
• The projected economic benefits to the city and the region.
These kinds of decisions are never straightforward.
As I said in a previous column, on a straight cost-benefit ratio the arena does not stack up as a financial proposition. It is incredibly hard however to put an actual dollar figure on the sense of civic pride we would gain from hosting large-scale sporting and entertainment events here. Residents and businesses alike have felt the economic impact of big events passing us by since the earthquakes.
I also discussed this in my last column, when I said councillors could choose to include in their assessment of the benefits of completing the last of the anchor projects, the contribution the Crown had made by delivering the convention centre at no cost to the council, as well as picking up all the cost overruns on Parakiore, the Metro Sports Facility that will open next year.
I believe the biggest area of focus on Thursday will be whether we have a fixed price bid for the design and construction of Te Kaha. That will determine the level of confidence we can offer our ratepayers that this is the final price. Another key focus will be the implications of taking on this debt and the impact on rates.
Now to the options we will consider on Thursday.
If we make the call to stop the project completely, that will mean our region will not have a suitable venue for large sporting or entertainment events in the medium to long term.
We would also need to have urgent talks with central government because of the commitments we made to each other in the Funding Agreement, which includes its contribution of the land and its $220 million financial contribution.
The option to pause is based on an expectation that construction costs will stabilise or that we can find a less expensive design. I honestly thought that this would be higher percentage than those calling for the project to stop altogether.
If we pressed pause, we would be passing the baton to the next council to make the decisions. But the consultation indicates that there is a strong desire for a final decision from this Council – yes or no.
If we decide to proceed, then we sign the design and construction contract with lead contractor BESIX Watpac and it is full steam ahead for the Kotui Consortium which is ready to go.
Whatever we decide, we are making this decision in an open, transparent, and democratically accountable manner – everything is on the table for everyone to see. There will be no hidden surprises for the next council, as there were back in 2013 when I first became mayor.
The next council will know exactly what has been committed.
And, if we have confirmed the contract, they will have plenty of time to develop the financial strategy for the next Long-Term Plan (2024-34) that will allow them to see this project through to its conclusion.
