$1.5 million otter habitat at Brooklands Zoo causes concern for New Plymouth Council

New Plymouth District Council’s last meeting of the year was held this week during which councillors were divided on the next long-term plan budget with the future of New Plymouth free family Brooklands Zoo coming under scrutiny.

Councillors wanting to save money and those largely happy with the draft long-term plan caused a debate on just what would go out for public feedback.

Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reports that one of the most divisive subjects centred on veteran councillor Gordon Brown’s wish to take out $9 million of funding earmarked for Brooklands Zoo to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

Included in those standards would be creating a new habitat for four otters. The cost of the otter habitat is reportedly $1.55 million – a cost which councillor Brown told RNZ he believed was unacceptable while the district suffered through tough economic times.

On 12th December, Council approved an ambitious seven-phase strategic vision for the boutique zoo, including new animal enclosures, a children's play area and a canopy walkway extending out into the native forest of Pukekura Park.

However, a day later on 13th December, councillor Brown wanted the $9 million earmarked for zoo compliance costs to be removed from the draft pan, which would effectively mean closing it down.

He told RNZ the boutique zoo was now simply too expensive to maintain.

The zoo attracts more than 113,000 visitors annually and provides the community a free family option for an out of home leisure experience.

New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom led the fightback for the zoo, outlining the overwhelming positive public feedback it received during the drawing up of the latest Pukekura Park strategic vision document.

Holdom told RNZ “in a world of increasing costs, council's provision of services that are open access to all people actually reflects our egalitarian ideals.

"If you think about the pressures on families. When the kids say they want to go bowling it's ka-ching, we want to go to the movies it's ka-ching, we want to go skating ka-ching, an escape room ka-ching.

"Now those are awesome things to do, but when they say we want to go to the zoo, it's like, 'come on then let's go'."

Holdom urged councillors to reject Brown's motion and instead embrace the strategic vision for the zoo.

Brown found support from Murray Chong who said New Plymouth would not become a backwater city like Whanganui if the zoo was closed.

Brown’s motion was eventually lost.

Closing New Plymouth’s popular Brooklands Zoo will form part of the public consultation into the district’s next 10-year budget after the council signed off the first stage of its draft long-term plan on Wednesday.

Council will meet to adopt a draft consultation document to go out for public consultation in February.

In March public feedback will be sought before the 10-Year Plan 2024-2034 is adopted by council in June.

Image top. Credit: Unsplash/ mana5280; Image above Credit: Brooklands Zoo