There are still some in our community who believe that Marineland should not close its doors to the public when the last dolphin dies.
The fact that two of our councillors voted against the closure simply beggars belief.
What do these people want the Marineland staff to do? Sell tickets to the public – usher them in to the grandstand – make an announcement that the government prohibits us from capturing, breeding or importing dolphins so there ain’t no dolphins – thank them for coming – and wish them a happy day.
You can’t sell tickets to a show when your headline act is no longer with the show. You don’t sell tickets to the movies and ask the patrons to look at a blank screen.
There is no option, when the last dolphin dies we do not have a viable entertainment spectacle therefore we must close our doors to the public. It’s that bloody simple.
What we should be concentrating our energies on is “where do we go from here?â€
The marine zoo and hospital has always been a very important part of Marineland and I would like to see that retained. However that will never be viable on its own – we need a new headline act. We need a new act that will draw in the punters and please, no-one suggest dolphins – that is a dead duck.
The facilities at Marineland need a huge facelift and that is going to require a great deal of money. To justify that expenditure we need to have a business model that shows we can increase patronage dramatically.
That means we need a stunning headline act. Someone out there must have an idea or an image in their mind of an act or a demonstration or a spectacle that would be unique in New Zealand and attract people to Napier the way the dolphins used to.
I am strongly of the opinion that the infrastructure in place at Marineland is too valuable to loose but we can only retain it and build and develop on it, if we can find a new attraction.
So Marineland must close when the last dolphin dies. Not to do so would be defying logic.
What we need is your ideas to enable us to plan the re-birth.
July 13th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Bill - as one of the two councillors who voted against the resolution to close Marineland when Kelly dies, I would like to reiterate what I said on your website earlier in the year(and last week’s Napier Mail): I am opposed to capturing any more dolphins, but I would like genuine public consultation to occur on the future of a dolphin-free Marineland, whether Kelly dies tomorrow or in 10 years’ time.
Let’s not wait for Kelly’s demise for that: Council needs to hear people’s ideas now.
What I said in the debate was that Napier people should have an opportunity to make submissions to us with their ideas on the future of a dolphin-free Marineland, whether it is to be revamped, bulldozed or kept on as a marine zoo.
I voted against the resolution because I felt the mandate it gave us for public consultation on the future of Marineland was too wishy washy.
It’s up to Council now to listen to what Napier people say about the future of this iconic attraction.
Let’s hope the people of Napier pick up the challenge you make in your last sentence!
Maxine Boag