Ownership agreement still not signed for Whanganui’s Rotokawau Virginia Lake aviary

In 2023, bird numbers were reduced from 178 to 98 but there are now about 120 in the aviary. Photo / Mike Tweed

Whanganui District Council is still running Rotokawau Virginia Lake’s aviary, nine months after agreeing to hand over operations to a community group.

Last September, the council voted 9-4 in favour of the Friends of the Aviary (the Friends) trust running the facility and approved a $20,000 grant to help the group get up and running in the first six months.

Friends chairman Grant Rogerson said the council delivered an initial agreement just before Christmas and discussions had been ongoing since.

“There has been one stumbling block after another, but we are expecting a proposal from David [Langford, Whanganui District Council chief executive],” Rogerson said.

“It’s up to him to find the time, and there are a lot more important things for him to worry about at the moment ... [the] council is not incurring a massive expense to continue managing it.”

The council said there were about 120 birds in the aviary.

There had been no budget for aviary operations in 2024/25, as it was anticipated to be handed over to the trust, it said.

“Since July 1, 2024, we have spent $49,000 which includes wages, electricity, vet costs, feeding and cleaning costs.”

Langford said he hoped to have the deal done by the end of the current financial year, but it was not essential.

The council had budgeted the $20,000 grant towards the aviary in the 2025/26 financial year, he said.

In 2023, an independent report from zoologist Dr Lorne Roberts found the aviary was not meeting best-practice standards for animal health and welfare.

Bird numbers were then cut from 178 to 98 and, during Long-Term Plan (LTP) deliberations in June last year, the council voted 7-6 to close the facility.

Closure was halted after a last-gasp bid from the Friends the same month.

According to the council’s LTP consultation document, closing the aviary would have saved $190,000 a year.

Langford said that figure included planning for future upgrades of the facility and a significant increase in staffing.

The three staff had been supplemented with members of the Friends trust, which had helped keep costs down in 2024/25, he said.

There are about 120 birds in the aviary. Photo / Mike Tweed

He was satisfied that the issues raised in Roberts’ report had been addressed.

“I don’t have the same concerns that we’re not looking after the wellbeing of the animals which, for me, has always been a fundamental bottom line, no matter who is running the aviary,” Langford said.

“The birds are looking much healthier and we have changed some of the management practices so they are being fed well, entertained and have the enrichment they need.

“We’ve made a lot of progress.”

Rogerson said the Friends had continued to fundraise and there was “a certain amount of money set aside”.

“The biggest issue with being a charitable trust is applying for funding,” he said.

“Unfortunately, due to the delay, that’s put us outside of charity funding for this year.

“It’s really a matter of seeing what we can find.”

Other ideas included memberships, bird sponsorship and funding from businesses, he said.

The $20,000 council grant is not accessible until an agreement has been signed.

Rogerson said he hoped more council funding would not be required but did not rule out applying for a grant in the future “to help us along”.

He said the annual cost to run the facility was expected to be between $60,000 and $65,000, with the biggest expenses being wages and food.

The group initially estimated it to be $49,800.

Langford said the three aviary staff members would be employed by the Friends once the aviary changed hands.

“There are a few final details to be worked through before we can settle into the new arrangement and complete the handover, but they are not far away at all.

“Fingers crossed, within the next few weeks, things will be sorted and ready to go.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.