A last-gasp bid by a community group to save the Whanganui aviary has been given the green light.
The Rotokawau Virginia Lake aviary will remain open as a community-run facility, Whanganui District councillors confirmed on Tuesday.
The council decided to close the Rotokawau Virginia Lake Aviary and rehome the birds as part of its long-term plan but allowed Friends of the Aviary to prepare an 11th-hour case to take over the facility.
Councillors voted on Tuesday to hand over the birdhouse with a one-off $20,000 operating grant to help the group get up and running for the first six months while fundraising began.
Chief executive David Langford has worked with the group to develop a business plan.
He said before agreeing to the proposal the council needed to be satisfied that the welfare of the birds would continue to be looked after under new management.
“I’m satisfied that the latest version of the plan will give the birds the appropriate level of care so the aviary can now transition to the group.”
Langford said the group had a fundraising plan but needed “seed funding” to accelerate the handover.
Earlier this year, councillors voted 7-6 to close the aviary. The proposed closure was driven mainly by cost-saving measures to minimise rates increase. Closing the aviary was expected to save $190,000 a year.
The council said handing over the aviary would allow the council to achieve its intention of reducing cost to the ratepayer, while also keeping the aviary open and avoiding the costs of decommissioning the birdhouse.
Friends of the Aviary estimates annual operating costs to be $49,800. The group expects funding to come from donations and grants.
Mayor Andrew Tripe, who voted to close the aviary during the LTP process, said he looked at three criteria when making his decision – financial viability, no burden to the ratepayer, and bird welfare.
“I can tick all three of those off,” he said.
“This is a chance for our community to own a community-led initiative. I would like to see what [Friends of the Aviary have] done modelled across our community in all sorts of different ways.”
Public submissions on the proposal were split nearly 50-50 on whether to close the facility, he said.
“Those who wanted it to stay open, this is your chance to step up and help these guys out.”
Public submissions were 630 in favour of closure, 612 wanting it to stay open and 128 wanting something else.
Councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay said the reasons he had cast his vote during deliberations to close the aviary had not changed, and therefore his vote would not change.
Councillor Peter Oskam said his vote was against caging birds.
Friends of the Aviary chairman Grant Rogerson said the group was now a charitable trust, a condition for the council providing the $20,000 grant.
“The encouragement and support received from the community was the catalyst for forming a trust to keep this historical asset open to everyone, residents and tourists, to enjoy this unique attraction to our city.”
The group plans to manage bird breeding and consider enrichment activities, feeding regimes, and animal health and record-keeping and will seek accreditation with either the Ministry for Primary Industries or the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia.
It wants the community to see the aviary as “more than a collection of exotic birds” and intended it to become an educational facility and resource for conservation, wildlife and fauna.
“We wish to acknowledge the amazing help and support we have received from the CEO and members of the council in our quest to develop an acceptable business plan to transition the aviary from council-owned to public ownership,” Rogerson said.
The council will sell the aviary structures to the trust for $1.00 and put in place a ‘peppercorn’ lease for the underlying land.
The trust will offer employment to current aviary staff, with volunteers filling the extra staffing requirements.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
