The Oamaru Gardens elephant has had a stay of execution, at least until a development plan for the children's playground is completed.
Yesterday, the Waitaki District Council set aside $30,000 from its playgrounds budget to restore the elephant slide, declared unsafe and closed, with various councillors describing it as an icon, comic and "almost kitsch".
Cr Helen Stead also went so far as to suggest it had heritage values because of its sentimental value.
The future of the elephant was tabled to be settled at the council's meeting yesterday. The recommendation was the elephant be removed and replaced with a new play feature in the gardens that had "improved play value and location". The council was also asked to consider replacements.
Instead, the council supported a motion from Cr Gary Kircher allocating $30,000 from the playground budget for the redevelopment of the elephant slide once a development plan for the playground was completed.
The debate was liberally sprinkled with puns, such as "putting down" the elephant, "putting the cart before the elephant" and "selling off the ivory".
But Cr Kircher said the elephant was "splendid, almost kitsch" and had a value to all children who had played on it and their parents who had brought them to the playground.
"It is a magnet and should, in all possible circumstances, be retained in some form," he said.
