Nelson Marina

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From Nelson Paper.

 

Change could be coming for the management of the Nelson marina, with privatisation among the list of options councillors are discussing in secret.

Nelson City Council chief executive Keith Marshall confirmed yesterday that the marina, which houses 600 boats at Port Nelson, has been part of confidential discussions the council has been holding about all of the "arms-length" organisations it owns or is involved with through contractual arrangements.

As well as the marina, the list covers motor camps, the Nelson Provincial Museum, the Suter gallery, historic homes, the port and airport companies, Nelson Tasman Tourism, Nelmac, swimming pools, golf courses and festivals.

Recommendations would be discussed in the confidential section of next Thursday's council meeting.

"There's no urgency for the council to adopt those recommendations," Mr Marshall said. "It might decide after considering it to leave the `what next' decisions to the next council, or it might decide to act on some, none or all of the recommendations in there."

The marina is currently directly controlled by the council, with its day-to-day running contracted to marina supervisor Chris Hawkes, who has held the job for eight years. His contract is soon due for review.

Possibilities for the marina included a council-controlled organisation, a more profit-oriented council-controlled trading organisation, a trust, a separate business unit, or privatisation, Mr Marshall said.

"If we were going to consider any major substantive changes to the management of the marina, it would have to go though a formal public consultation process."

The marina, which the council has owned and run since the Nelson Harbour Board was done away with in 1989 during the local government reorganisation process, is self-funding and last year had a surplus of $442,000.

Port sources spoken to by the Mail say it is very well operated by Mr Hawkes.

Mr Marshall said the review was about the governance and management of the marina, "it isn't about the operations in any way, shape or form".

Under council ownership the marina has grown to contain 515 walk-on berths, 30 pile moorings and a park for 50 trailer boats. There is a waiting list for berths and plans to build a final two marina pontoons, including one to cater for 25-metre and 35m visiting maxi yachts.

But after completing the dredging for the pontoons this year at a cost of $830,000, the council has balked at the $1 million estimated to finish the job. It has left one pontoon in this year's estimates, and pushed the maxi yacht pontoon back to the 2011-12 year, although both might be built during 2011. It has also delayed construction of new toilets, showers and other facilities on the Akersten St side of the marina, but $380,000 has been set aside for this work.

The holdups have disappointed long-term city councillor and marina supporter Mike Cotton, who said he was "not happy at all" with the lack of progress.

Mr Cotton, who is retiring from the council in October, said if the marina was put under commercial control, such as through a council-controlled trading organisation, fees would inevitably rise and many owners of more modest boats would be forced out.

That would destroy the ethos of a community asset that was available to the full range of boat owners and other members of the public, he said.

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Mr Cotton, who is retiring from the council in October, said if the marina was put under commercial control, such as through a council-controlled trading organisation, fees would inevitably rise and many owners of more modest boats would be forced out.

That would destroy the ethos of a community asset that was available to the full range of boat owners and other members of the public, he said.

 

 

It seems the opposite happened here at Westhaven. When the Ports of Auckland put it up for sale a few years ago, there was a huge amount of opposition to it being sold to private ownership, and the government helped Auckland City purchase it.

 

Almost as soon as they got it, marina rental costs went up faster and further than they had for many years beforehand. Public ownership certainly does not mean anything different from private ownership, in fact often worse. It seems that they may believe that by subsidising generral rates by "taxing" the boat owners that they will have a better chance or re-election.

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Squid, if you are reading this, is it possible for you to contact a private marina and ask if the manager would like to comment on charges. He coul remain completely annon along with the Marina remain unnamed. It is so easy for use to wonder and ask why do they charge so much for a hole in the water. But maybe there are costs way beyond what we understand. A business MUST make a profit, or no point in have a buisness. But as with the Nelson Marina discussed here, they are making half a million in profit per year. That is if we are getting the correct figures of course. I assume profit is after expenses. Maybe in this case it is not. Nelson is half the cost of the Port Marlborough charges. And Mana and Auckland are more expensive than Wellington's Seaview marina. So just what are those marinas really making in Profit.

Aside from the fact I have my own boat in a Marina and am struggling to remain there, I also have and interest in Marina charges NZ wide because in the end, these astronomical costs are affecting a Sport/Recreation that is a big part of many Kiwi's lives and styles. Certainly many of us here grew up with water. Even on the Farm it would be a big part of our childhood just making a raft for the Creek. Boating in NZ is easily the biggest the leisurly pastime and it is being forced out of the ability foir the average Kiwi to be able to afford it and making it the realm of the very wealthy only.