North Canterbury News: September 05, 2019
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Residents air concerns over park<br />
By SHELLEY TOPP<br />
Whitewaterenthusiasts<br />
proposingtodevelop aworldclassaquasports<br />
park on redzonedland<br />
in Kaiapoi faced a<br />
grilling at apublic meeting last<br />
Sunday.<br />
The meeting, at Kaiapoi’s<br />
Port And EagleBrewpub, was<br />
held to launch afundraising<br />
drivetoraise $248,000 as ‘‘prefeasibility<br />
funding’’ for the<br />
project.<br />
The enthusiasts have<br />
established the WHoW<br />
Charitable Trust to develop the<br />
project and aGivealittlepage<br />
to help raise funds for the<br />
feasibility assessment.<br />
Trustmembers say the park<br />
will be aplace wherepeople of<br />
all ages and abilities, including<br />
eliteathletes,can experience<br />
outdoor aquatic sports and<br />
festivals in asafe,controlled<br />
environment.<br />
TrustspokesmanScott<br />
Kotoul opened the meeting,<br />
saying he was proudofthe<br />
proposal which presented ‘‘an<br />
amazing opportunity’’ to<br />
showcase Kaiapoi, his former<br />
hometown.<br />
‘‘Howawesome would it be<br />
to have this in our backyard?’’<br />
However, neighbours of the<br />
proposed aquasports parksay<br />
the peace and tranquility of<br />
theirneighbourhood will be<br />
destroyed and their properties<br />
devaluedifthe project<br />
proceeds.<br />
They doubt that the redzonedland<br />
earmarked for the<br />
park is stable enough for sucha<br />
project. They also have<br />
Speaking out ... Close neighbours of the proposed aquasports park on redzoned land in Kaiapoi,<br />
Graeme and Maree Hazeldine, left, with Michelle MacWilliam, centre, and Heather and Warren May, are<br />
opposed to the proposal.<br />
PHOTOS: SHELLEY TOPP<br />
concerns aboutwherethe<br />
artesian water forthe project<br />
is coming from and the<br />
possibility of floodingifthe<br />
facility was damaged in an<br />
earthquake.<br />
‘‘Our neighbourhood is<br />
totally against this,’’ Michelle<br />
MacWilliam says.‘‘Ithas along<br />
way to go, but we have to speak<br />
out aboutour concernsnow.’’<br />
The trustees previously<br />
investigatedapotential sitein<br />
the Christchurch residential<br />
red zonefor theirprojectbut<br />
werepersuaded by Enterprise<br />
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> (ENC)to<br />
consider Kaiapoi instead.<br />
The trusteessay on their<br />
Givealittle page that the<br />
‘‘Waimakariri District Council<br />
and Enterprise <strong>North</strong><br />
<strong>Canterbury</strong> have indicated<br />
their support of the project<br />
concept and futurefunding,<br />
conditional on theoutcome of a<br />
prefeasibility study.’’<br />
Waimakariri District<br />
Councillor John Meyer,who is<br />
not standingfor reelectionin<br />
October, told the meeting the<br />
council had beensupportive of<br />
the proposal, but had not<br />
contributedany moneyand<br />
would not contribute any in the<br />
future.<br />
Funding drive ... Trust spokesman Scott Kotoul addresses the public meeting held at the Port And<br />
Eagle Brewpub in Kaiapoi.<br />
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‘‘We don’t have the money<br />
for aprojectlikethis,’’ he says.<br />
ENC’sbusiness support<br />
manager,Miles Dalton,<br />
confirmed that position. ‘‘The<br />
Waimakariri District Council<br />
has saidthat at no point will<br />
they put any money into this<br />
project.’’<br />
However, the ongoing<br />
contributionofstafftime from<br />
the counciland the $30,000in<br />
conditionalfunding fromENC<br />
reinforced the commitment<br />
already shown.<br />
WHoW Charitable Trust<br />
chairman Tony Joseph said: ‘‘It<br />
(the aquasports park) needs to<br />
be commercially viable and<br />
sustainable to provide the<br />
social outcomes giving hope to<br />
future generations.’’<br />
The trust is immediately<br />
focused on raising the $125,000<br />
needed to commission the<br />
workthat willform the prefeasibility<br />
report, and to assess<br />
whether the projectisviable to<br />
go to afull feasibility and<br />
businesscasestage.<br />
It will provide details on how<br />
manyvisitors will attend,how<br />
muchthey willpay and what<br />
sizeand scale the park needed<br />
to be. This would provide an<br />
indicative cost for the facility.<br />
The trusthopesthe<br />
aquasportspark could be<br />
openedbythe summer of 2023,<br />
justbefore the Paris2024<br />
Olympic games.<br />
So far, it has raised over<br />
$9200 toward the study.<br />
NEWS<br />
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong>, <strong>September</strong> 5, <strong>2019</strong><br />
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