The Island Bay Marine Education Centre - also known as The Bait House - has been operating since 1996. Photo: Facebook/Island Bay Marine Education Centre
The future of a beloved Wellington aquarium on the city's south coast is uncertain, as the council considers removing or repurposing the building due to coastal erosion and sea level rise.
The Island Bay Marine Education Centre - also known as The Bait House - has been operating since 1996, providing marine education programmes to the community.
Wellington City Council is considering the changes in the next five to seven years, as part of its draft coastal reserves management plan.
Southern ward councillor Nureddin Abdhurahman is calling for a public meeting in Island Bay to discuss the aquarium's future.
"It's well-loved," he said, adding that about 25,000 people visited each year.
"It's an education space as well, where young children go and learn about marine science."
A Wellington City Council spokesperson said the building was vulnerable to coastal erosion and sea level rise - and it was also yellow-stickered, with earthquake strengthening required by 2032.
Modelling showed the building would become increasingly vulnerable to flooding and storm surge events over the next 10 to 20 years, the spokesperson said.
Abdurahman said while work needed to be done on the building, he questioned whether it needed to be removed entirely.
He said the community had a right to hear directly from the council about it, and that drop in sessions held in Evans Bay, Lyall Bay and Wellington Central was not enough for the level of public interest.
"If the council is saying we need to remove it, council needs to justify and make the community aware of the reasoning behind it.
"The community also have the right to question and interrogate some of these proposals, and why they don't support it," Abdurahman said.
Residents RNZ spoke to in Island Bay did not want the aquarium to go.
Mike Curtis said it would be an "absolute travesty" to lose the aquarium.
"We've got grandchildren who go there and they love picking up the starfish and touching the little crustaceans. It's sort of a living museum, as opposed to a static one and so it's really good for education."
He said sea erosion would happen in the future, but the building could be kept going for now and replaced later.
Julian Bianco said the Bait House was "well-treasured" in the community.
"Even today my daughter was asking 'can we go there' but it's only open on Sunday, it would be disappointing to see it go."
The council spokesperson said no decisions had been made about the future of the Bait House, and the plan was to investigate options over the next five to seven years as it manages coastal infrastructure.
The council doesn't have a plan to replace the aquarium in another building, the spokesperson said, but it would be reviewing feedback from the public as part of the consultation.
The spokesperson also said the council had not decided whether it would hold a public meeting with the community about it.
The building is owned by the council and leased to the Wellington Marine Conservation Trust on a monthly basis. The spokesperson said any decision on the fate of the building would need to be made by 2032.
The Island Bay Marine Conservation Trust declined an interview with RNZ, but a spokesperson urged people to give their feedback on the draft plan.
In a post of Facebook, they said it came as a shock that the Bait House was under review.
"Since 2004, we've poured our heart and soul into this little building.
"We transformed in from a derelict eyesore that was scheduled for demolition into our Island Bay Marine Education Centre.
"A welcoming sanctuary where people of all ages, all nationalities and all walks of life can learn about our treasured marine environment."
Consultation on the draft coastal management plan closes on August 5, with the council holding another drop-in session on the plan at the waterfronts markets this weekend.
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