Zealandia needs $3 million

Posted by travel memo on 16 December 2011 | 0 Comments

Tags: Zealandia wildlife sanctuary, Wellington City Council

Zealandia wildlife sanctuary has asked Wellington City Council for nearly $3 million so it can keep its doors open. The Dominion Post says the council has already provided funding of about $10.7m based on projected visitor figures that have never been met, and it is hesitant about
providing a bailout of $950,000 a year over three years. If it does so, it wants to keep a closer eye on how the sanctuary spends its money, by
bringing it under the umbrella of the councilcontrolled Wellington Zoo.

The sanctuary’s interactive visitor centre is at the heart of its financial problems. It opened last April, funded through a government grant of $6.5m and a 25-year, $10.3m interest-free loan from the council. The council put in an extra $700,000 on top of the loan last year, and $40,000 more is
coming in the next year. To fund depreciation and pay off the loan, the sanctuary must attract 157,000 visitors a year. To cover expenses, without repaying the loan, it needs 137,000 visitors a year. Numbers to the year ending June hit just 89,643. It did show improvement in the September
quarter when it surpassed its forecast figures by nearly 800.