The fate of the Jackson Bay wharf in South Westland will be open for public debate next month, when the Westland District Council releases its 10-year plan for consultation.
The main issue is whether to transfer the 75-year-old wooden structure to Westland Property Ltd, a private property-management company, to develop its commercial potential, or to continue "as is" with a ratepayer-owned, underperforming, depreciating asset.
Haast fishermen Geoff and Andrew Robson are concerned the increasingly dilapidated wharf could cost up to $1 million to repair, making it uneconomic to keep it open long term.
The Robsons operate Barn Bay Fishing Co and Impulse Fishing Co, among other businesses, from nearby Neills Beach, and fear if their fishing interests had to shut down, 10 people could lose jobs.
They are the biggest users of the remote South Westland wharf and pay $8000 in licence fees, which is the bulk of the wharf's annual income.
Westland District Council assets manager Vivek Goel said this week the council budgeted for up to $14,000 in annual income from the wharf, expected to earn between $8000 and $10,000 from wharf users this year, and had already spent $11,000 this financial year on repairs and maintenance.
This amount did not include $5000 spent repairing damage after an accidental fire in January, the cause of which was unclear.
Sources say the fire started near a weather station and electrical box, but also near a cigarette butt.
Geoff Robson said this month he was happy to pay his $8000 fee but felt the income from such fees was not enough to keep the wharf maintained as it should be.
"There has been a little bit of maintenance, but future maintenance will exceed income.
There will have to be some maintenance soon or the council will have to close it," Mr Robson said.
While the wharf looked solid, some bolts were worn, creating lots of movement.
Some timber piles had rotted and pieces of diagonal sway bracing had fallen off, he said.
"If you stand back and look at it, it is well run down from when it was brand new ...
"If they close it, it's the end of our children's business. We employ 10 people, so that's the loss of those jobs," Mr Robson said.
Andrew Robson (known locally as "Spud") said the fragility and flexing of the wharf sometimes worried him when he tied up his boat. He supported paying a levy, because "not paying is just stupid".
Mr Goel acknowledged "historically, there has not been much management on the Jackson Bay wharf" and that repairs were needed.
But he did not share the fishermen's fears the wharf could close. An engineering report five years ago concluded the structure was old but not unstable, he said.
"What I would say is it has a lot of potential there and not a lot of marketing," he said.
If the wharf was transferred to a property management company, it could explore potential for commercial development, including interest expressed by cruise liner companies, Mr Goel said.
The property management company would collect income and set what would probably be a staged repairs and management programme, depending on how the wharf was being used, he said.
It would be crystal-ball gazing to estimate how much a repairs programme for the wharf would cost, he said.
"Future repairs could be $20,000 to $25,000 up to $200,000, but it would depend on how it was planned and timed," Mr Goel said.
The council introduced a user-pays system in 2009, installed an honesty box and set a range of commercial fees.
Mr Goel accepted not everyone who should pay was doing so and the councillors needed to decide whether a more commercial model was appropriate.
"I think there are some concerns. But there have not been any prosecutions [for not paying]," Mr Goel said.
If the wharf stayed in council ownership, it was likely he could commission another structural engineering report, with reassessments every two years, Mr Goel said.
Jackson Bay wharf
• Built: 1937.
• Owned: Westland District Council.
• Where: 30km south of Haast.
• Provides: Base for local and visiting commercial fishermen. Includes berthage, winching and refuelling facilities, and up to a dozen moorings for commercial fishing vessels.
• Issues: Recent significant increase in use by recreational boats.
• Income: About $8000 to $10,000 a year. Wharfage fees charged to commercial users are $23 a tonne for wet fish landed and $115 a tonne for crayfish. Emergency berthage is $345 a day.
• The future: The Westland District Council's 10-year plan proposes the wharf be transferred to Westland Property Ltd, a subsidiary of a council-controlled company, Westland Holdings Ltd.
According to the council's 2011-12 annual plan, the wharf has a depreciable life of 30 years. It is depreciating at $14,000 a year.
Sources: Westland District Council, West Coast Marine Protection Forum websites.
