A young child has died in a coastal tragedy off Napier's Marine Parade.
Emergency services were called at about 3.30pm after receiving a report a child wa
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Photo: RNZ / Sam Olley / Vinay Ranchhod
Napier City Council owns and manages the aquarium and had proposed a $77.5 million upgrade, but is not getting the government backing it hoped for.
When it prepared its pitch for an aquarium rebuild in 2019, it found infrastructure problems were much worse than expected. Standards and expectations for animal welfare are struggling to be met , its business case said, and if the issues persisted accreditation would likely be withdrawn, meaning species would need to be re-homed or euthanised.
Problems mentioned included severely restricted sizes and access into some exhibits; limited quarantine facilities and inadequate water reticulation; filtration tanks in a non-operational state; and sharp right angles and unsuitable concrete substrates causing shark injuries.