Kāpiti Gateway Centre

Kāpiti Island is an outstanding taonga and an internationally significant wildlife sanctuary. Visiting Kāpiti Island is a unique and sought-after natural experience that brings visitors to the Kāpiti region – many of whom stay overnight and contribute to our economy.

Currently, there is nothing on the Paraparaumu beachfront that tells the Kāpiti Island conservation story, celebrates our deep cultural history, or connects the mainland with the island.

The site for the proposed Gateway is itself significant. This is where iwi originally landed in our region, and it has been used as the launching point for Kāpiti Island for hundreds of years. 

There is high recognition locally and nationally of the need to tell the Kāpiti Island story, as well as those of the many other attractions and activities in our district, and to protect the island now and in the future through improved biosecurity measures.

Visits to Kāpiti Island currently sit at only 25% of annual capacity. There is significant opportunity to grow this without impacting the unique environment. 

Establishing a Gateway will create jobs and provide a much-needed boost to our tourism economy post COVID-19. It will deliver enhancements to the Tikotu Stream mouth and enhance public access to and from the beach. It will provide a focal point for visitors and add to the Paraparaumu Beach offering for young and old, for local residents and visitors alike.

The Gateway project aligns with and supports the aspirations of Toitū Kāpiti, our Long term plan 2018–38, and has the potential to deliver numerous social, cultural, environment and economic benefits to the Kāpiti Coast community. 

The Gateway will help foster a greater sense of identity and place for our community. It will deliver a fully accessible space for a range of social activities – recreation, arts, culture and education. 

The building will be designed to accommodate mobility scooters, pushchairs and wheelchairs, and will have seating areas with shade and shelter. This will mean less able-bodied people no longer need to drive onto the beach to view the island or watch boats being launched and retrieved. 

The Gateway will provide a focal point for visitors to our district, many of whom stay overnight and contribute to our local economy, and will add to the vibrancy of the Paraparaumu Beach offering. 

It will be designed to celebrate our deep cultural history. The proposed site for the Gateway is of great historical and cultural significance, as the arrival place of local iwi to this area, and a well-used landing and taking off point, linking the island and the mainland, for hundreds of years. It was the site of a fierce battle to determine ownership of the area, and of a mainland whaling station. The project will tell the stories of the site, the island and our district. 

The Gateway will enhance the Tikotu Stream mouth. This will involve enhancing the ecology of the stream mouth (supporting the two at-risk native species that live in this stream – the long-finned eel and inunga), and enhancing the biodiversity of the area and public access to and from the beach. 

Establishing a Gateway will deliver training and employment opportunities for our construction sector, rangatahi and the many wonderful volunteers we have in our community. It will be a catalyst for economic growth in our district and will provide a much-needed boost to our tourism economy post COVID-19. 

The Gateway will provide opportunities to strengthen our protection of Kāpiti Island, which is a big part of our district’s identity and one of New Zealand’s most treasured nature reserves, against future biosecurity threats.

The Gateway aligns with and supports local, regional and national strategy and planning documents in economic development, tourism, conservation, biodiversity, and iwi’s aspirations to share our districts culture and heritage.

The Gateway sits within the Council’s Long Term Plan 2018–38 and supports the objectives of the Economic Development Strategy for the Kāpiti Coast District 2020–23. It is also identified in the Maclean Park Management Plan 2017.

At a regional level the Gateway aligns with, and supports the objectives of, the Wellington Regional Strategy 2012, which seeks to build a resilient, diverse economy that creates jobs, supports the growth of high-value companies and improves the region’s overall economic position. WellingtonNZ supports the Gateway.

At a national level, the Gateway aligns with, and supports the objectives of:

• the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund
• the New Zealand–Aotearoa Government Tourism Strategy
• New Zealand Māori Tourism He Toa Takatini
• New Zealand Arts, Cultural and Heritage Tourism Strategy to 2015
• the Department of Conservation’s Heritage and Visitor Strategy (to be released this year)
• New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2000–2020
• the Kāpiti Island Strategic Advisory Committee.

Increasing tourism to the region will help to support local jobs, and the economic revenue of the Gateway and Kāpiti Island tourism in year one is estimated to be $5.91 million. It will generate local employment opportunities during construction and beyond, and provide much-needed economic stimulus to businesses in the surrounding area.

During construction an estimated 14 jobs would be created, plus professional services providers and suppliers. Once the Gateway is completed it’s estimated that in the first year of operating a further 27 jobs would be created in the tourism and supporting sectors. This number is expected to increase to 48 jobs by 2025 and to 72 jobs by 2030.

The funding committed by the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund for the Kāpiti Gateway project cannot be applied to any other projects. If Council decides not to proceed with the Kāpiti Gateway at this time, the Government funds will not be forthcoming.

Through the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund (PGF), we were presented with an opportunity to secure up to 50% of the project costs associated with building a Gateway Centre.

The PGF process required us to move at pace, and we were able to do this because of the work already done, including extensive consultation. Council submitted its application in June 2020.

For our PGF application to be considered, Council needed to demonstrate that this project will create jobs, the Centre is viable over the long term, and that the project is able to start within six months of funding being confirmed. We also needed to demonstrate that a resource consent application is in progress.

The conditions of the PGF fund required us to keep the Indicative Business Case confidential until a decision was made and we had formal agreement from government officials that our application could be shared in the public domain.

We acknowledge that there has been community interest in this project, and we are committed to making information about the Gateway project accessible to all.

When developing the indicative business case to support our PGF application in May 2020, a number of key assumptions needed to be made. These included:

• whether the Gateway centre would be self-sustainable
• whether the Gateway centre would be staffed or unstaffed
• projected growth in visitor numbers
• grants and sponsorships revenue
• potential revenue from venue hire
• whether there would be a biosecurity surcharge
• interest rates
• whether it would be Council-owned.

The key variables used to inform the Indicative Business Case were:

• The operation of the Gateway visitor centre will break even in the medium term (using a full accounting view).
• The visitor centre will be staffed seven days a week, with longer hours in summer and shorter hours in winter.
• The biosecurity area will be staffed by volunteers.
• We assumed the growth rate for visitors to Kāpiti Island will be 12.5% per annum (less than 50% of the average annual growth rate over the past five years).
• We would allow for a moderate level of grants and sponsorship revenue.
• There would be a low level of venue hire, commercial lease and advertising achieved.
• The biosecurity user charge would be $10 for adults and $5 for children.
• Interest costs on borrowings of $2.23 million were calculated at 4.8% (this is Council’s standard business case rate, not the actual cost of borrowing).
• The Gateway would be a Council-owned asset and as such depreciation would be based on full asset value.
• There was no allowance made for repayment of Capital.

Our operating environment has continued to change since the Indicative Business Case was finalised for PGF application purposes. We are now working through a process, having listened to community and elected member concerns, to look at some of the variables we applied in the Indicative Business Case. This includes looking at a range of options for how the Gateway centre might operate.

On 28 May 2020, Council granted approval for an application to be made to the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) for up to 50% of the Gateway project costs. At this meeting, Council also made it clear that the decision to proceed to the detailed design phase would be subject to receiving a robust business case.

Following confirmation on 6 August that funding to progress the project would be allocated from the Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, councillors were briefed on 11 August and agreed that staff would undertake further work to test the assumptions, and further refine the Indicative Business Case. This included looking at a range of scenarios for how the ongoing operational costs of a Gateway centre might be met.

It is important to note that the Local Government Act 2002 requires Council to consider all of the social, cultural, environment and economic aspects of this project. While much of the public focus to date has been on the economic aspects of this project, there are supporting strategies and plans (Toitū Kāpiti – our Long term plan 2018–38, and the Maclean Park Management Plan in particular) that need to be taken into consideration.

As with any business case of this nature, and given our changing external environment, particularly in light of the ongoing COVID-19 response, it is good practice to test our original assumptions.

Visitor numbers to Kāpiti Island show a steady increase over the past five years  from 4579 in 2014 to  15,696 in 2019 – growing at an average of 29% per annum.

For the purposes of the Indicative Business Case required to support our PGF application, we assumed the growth rate for visitors to Kāpiti Island will be 12.5% per annum (less than 50% of the average annual growth rate over the past five years).

We acknowledge that some of the variables we applied, particularly variables around domestic and international tourism, have changed since the Indicative Business Case was finalised for PGF application purposes. We are now working through a process to take a closer look at the variables we applied to help councillors make a fully informed decision about whether to proceed with establishing the Gateway at this time.

The Kāpiti Island Conservation Management Strategy sets out the total number of people who can visit Kāpiti Island each year. The theoretical annual visitor limit to the Island is 58,000 per annum, with the daily limit set at a maximum of 160 people per day. In the future, there may be ways that the daily limits can be adjusted to help meet demand.

Visits to Kāpiti Island currently sit at only 25% (around 15,000 visitors) of theoretical annual capacity. There is significant opportunity to grow this without impacting the island’s unique environment. Records from one Kāpiti Island tour operator show that the average number of operating days per year is 233.2 days.

The potential for future growth in visitor numbers has been factored into the proposed concept design for the Gateway. Both the Department of Conservation and iwi are supportive of managed growth in visits to the island.

The current biosecurity arrangements mean biosecurity checks are conducted in a local café or on a table in the Paraparaumu Boating Club car park. While we have been very fortunate to date, neither of these locations provide for optimal biosecurity to ensure Kāpiti Island remains free of plant, pathogen and animal pests, due to the potential for contamination when travelling from the biosecurity check location to the boat departing for Kāpiti Island.

The proposed Gateway will include a dedicated baggage self-check room, which will play a vital role in strengthening biosecurity measures and protecting the island from animal, pathogen and plant threats such as Kauri dieback, myrtle rust and Argentinian ants, both now and in the future. The Department of Conservation is supportive of the Gateway project.

The Indicative Business Case prepared to support our PGF application refers to Council charging visitors a small fee ($10 for adults and $5 for children). It was assumed that concessionaires would increase their basic ticket price by 12.5% to reflect the enhanced visitor experience and biosecurity for the island’s protection. This is one of the variables that we’ll be testing as we develop a range of options for how the centre might operate.

Results from a recent Council survey of visitors to the island indicates that a modest increase in the overall cost per passenger, combined with increased benefit or amenity for passengers from the proposed Gateway project, is unlikely to have a negative impact on overall passenger numbers.

Kāpiti Island is an outstanding taonga, and an internationally significant wildlife sanctuary. Visiting Kāpiti Island is a unique and sought-after natural experience, which brings visitors to the Kāpiti region, many of whom stay overnight and contribute to our economy.

Kāpiti Island is the primary icon for the Kāpiti Coast. It’s part of our district’s identity and our turangawaewae (our sense of place). Biosecurity to protect the taonga that is Kāpiti Island is a shared responsibility.

It is not uncommon for councils to partner with DOC and community groups to facilitate and manage biosecurity in order to protect their taonga for their communities, both now and in the future.

Central government, of which DOC is a part, has indicated its support for the Kāpiti Gateway by announcing in-principle funding for close to 50% of the cost of building the facility.

We are currently looking at a range of options for how the Gateway visitor centre might operate. This includes using Council staff to support the day-to-day operations of the visitor centre.

It is envisaged that biosecurity processes will be managed by the Kāpiti Island tour operators/concessionaires (as happens now), assisted by volunteers who have been trained by the Department of Conservation (DOC). This is a model that works successfully for other nature reserves, such as Matiu–Somes Island and Mana Island, and DOC has indicated that they are keen to support a similar model for Kāpiti Island.

There is provision for retail activity in the Gateway centre, as it is envisaged that people will be able to purchase tickets for Kāpiti Island tours. In the future, additional complementary tourism businesses such as bike hire might also operate from the site. This would also be classed as retail activity.

This project aims to enhance and grow the retail offering that already exists in the area, by creating a stronger connection between the beach and the shops to better facilitate the movement of people through the area.

The Gateway design will tell the Kāpiti Island conservation story and the story of our deep cultural heritage. It will use digital technology to showcase the many activities and places you can visit in our district.

The Gateway visitor centre will improve access to information about things to do in our district, but it will not operate as an i-SITE. You will not be able to make bookings for accommodation, travel or activities at the Gateway visitor centre, with the exception of booking a trip to Kāpiti Island.

Council staff will explore a range of additional funding opportunities for this project to reduce the potential cost to Kāpiti ratepayers. This includes additional sources of capital funds and ongoing sponsorship to help offset operating costs.

We are currently exploring a range of scenarios for how the centre might be funded, for example will it be fully rate funded, fully user pays, or something in between. No decisions have been made at this point.

We invited five architects to submit concepts for the Gateway building. Four accepted the invitation – two from Kāpiti and two from Wellington. We limited the invitations to five as we paid for the competition entries, to help encourage local participation. Engaging in tender processes can be very costly for small architects and we did not want the cost of participating to be a barrier to entry.

The selection panel that chose the concept consisted of the project Governance Group, comprising representatives from Ngāti Toa and Te Āti Awa, the Department of Conservation, Council and the independent Chair, George Hickton, plus two independent architects.

The Governance Group also received advice from specialists on resource consenting, integration with Maclean Park, and biosecurity.

The selection panel chose the architects based on an assessment of the criteria required, and architects that were local (Kāpiti and Wellington), had proven experience in visitor centre design and/or experience with the site, and proven experience in coastal sites. The criteria included:

• taking into account the coastal environment
• including eco-building principles, and that the building be relocatable
• the needs of visitors, including those visiting the region, park and Kāpiti Island
• ensuring that it worked operationally for the tour operators
• providing a biosecurity facility in keeping with the status of the island
• having the ability to grow in the future, to allow for other tenants
• enhancing the ecological values of the site
• meeting the requirements of the Maclean Park Management Plan
• reflecting the cultural significance of the site and telling our history

The selection panel chose the design that best met all the criteria in the design brief. While Athfield Architects’ office is based in Wellington, one of the architects working on this project lives in Te Horo and is very familiar with our rich cultural history and coastal environment.

The concept design shows what is proposed to be built on the site. As we progress to the final design there may be some parts that need to be adjusted, however, the connection to both the park and the beach and the essential elements will be the same in terms of the size and facilities provided. Once funding is secured for the project, further work will be completed on the detailed design. The red poles shown in the images are placeholders for carved pou to express local stories of significance.

The 2019 TRC Feasibility Study considered three locations as potential sites for the Gateway building, including the:

• Paraparaumu Beach Boat Club car park area
• roundabout at the junction of Marine Parade, Kāpiti Road and Manly Street
• south side of the Tikotu Stream in Maclean Park.

The south side of the Tikotu Stream was chosen because it best meets the needs of the project, at the least cost, and takes into account the existing buildings and stakeholder feedback. The optimal biosecurity location is as close to the departure point (the beach) as possible, so locations further away from the beach were not considered.

The optimal biosecurity location for the Gateway building is as close to the departure point (the beach) as possible. Because of this, the two lots at Marine Parade were not considered.

The safest and most reliable point for launching vessels on the Kāpiti Coast is Paraparaumu Beach, as it is protected from the prevailing winds by Kāpiti Island.

Subject to costs increasing post-COVID-19, the project budget for the Gateway is estimated to be around $4.46 million, with $2 million committed from the Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund.

The estimated $4.46 million project budget includes the design and construction of the proposed 235m² single-storey, fully accessible multi-purpose Gateway building with a large expansive deck (450m²) for visitor and community use. It includes improvements to the Tikotu Stream and car parking area, a new bridge over the Tikotu Stream, landscaping, and interpretative story telling including pou. The budget also includes a $1 million contingency fund (35%).

It’s important to note that the $4.46 million budget will be checked again if we move to the detailed design phase. The final costs won’t be known until we put out a tender for the detailed design and construction of the building.

Budget and buildability have been top of mind for this project. The estimates we received have been verified with a quantity surveyor, and will be checked again as we move to the detailed design phase (subject to Council deciding to progress the Gateway at this time), to ensure the costings reflect a post-COVID-19 lockdown environment. The final costs won’t be known until we put out a tender for the detailed design and construction of the building.

The Council’s resource consents team has received our application and will advise if the resource consent application for the Gateway building needs to be publicly notified. 

Our Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) application needed to show that the resource consent was in progress. Due to time constraints it was not possible to put a paper before Council seeking agreement to lodge the PGF application for the Gateway building ahead of the resource consent application being submitted. The consent has been lodged with the Council’s resource consents team and it is working its way through the process.

A preliminary concept design has been submitted for resource consent that is at the upper bounds of what we believe would be built on the site. If Council decides to progress this project there will be further engagement with iwi, key stakeholders and community representatives to flesh out the design and ensure it meets the community’s needs (this includes the internal layout). Changes or amendments can be made easily to the resource consent, providing they do not increase the building footprint.

The Council has spent around $250,000 to get the Gateway project to the point where it could apply for Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) funding, which includes submitting a resource consent. This figure includes the costs associated with technical assessments required to support the resource consent application, future stages of the build and project costs. 

Technical assessments include:

• topographical survey
• ecological assessment
• visual effects assessment
• structural engineering
• geotechnical assessment
• traffic impact assessment
• cultural impact (mana whenua) assessments
• planning and resource consent preparation.

Project costs to July 2020 include:

• architecture fees, including concept designs for competition (4 x $10,000)
• consent fees
• business case and PGF application preparation assistance (this includes an economic impact assessment)
• quantity surveying
• project management.

If this project goes ahead, 17 car parking spaces will need to be removed from the car park on the south side of Tikotu Stream to make way for the Gateway building (15 will remain, including two accessible parks and one set-down/pick up park).

While there is more work to be done to improve access and parking in the area as a whole, new off-site car parking has been identified at the Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club (30 car parks) for visitors to Kāpiti Island to use.

Many of the car parks at the northern end of Maclean Park are often taken up by visitors to the island. While there is more work to be done to improve access and parking in the area as a whole, new off-site car parking has been identified at the Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club (30 parks), for people travelling to the island.

Kāpiti Coast District Council led the development of the Indicative Business Case, resource consent and Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) application, with support from partners and stakeholders.

An independent Governance Group was established to make recommendations to help inform the project, with representation from Ngāti Toa, Te Āti Awa, the Department of Conservation, and Council, chaired by former New Zealand Tourism Board Chief Executive, George Hickton.

A separate project Advisory Group was also established to ensure the voice of the community is reflected in this project. This involved representatives from the Kāpiti Boating Club, Underwater Club Kāpiti, Coastguard Kāpiti, Kāpiti Island concessionaires, Paraparaumu Beach Business Association,  Wellington NZ, Kāpiti Economic Development Agency, Chamber of Commerce and The Guardians of the Marine Reserve.