It's full-steam ahead for Kapiti's controversial new $4.5m tourist centre and a renowned local economist has come up with a unique plan to pay for it.
The Kapiti Gateway project has its fair share of dissenters, who argue that in a time of economic uncertainty and once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic our local leaders need to focus on basic needs.
Local economist and author Dr Karl Phillips disagrees, saying now is the right time to forge ahead with the project. He shared some ideas with the Kapiti Cryer about how he believes project costs could be reduced.
Dr Phillips said there are ways of doing things correctly - and suggests that instead of using expensive construction companies and designers the project could instead use the large stock of cheap labour in the area.
"More than 99% of people in Waikanae are retired - and many are itching to lend a hand to build this thing."
Dr Phillips said it's a 'well known game' played by those in their seventies to pretend they are physically incapable of hard labour.
"They say this hurts and that hurts, they pretend they are physically limited - the truth is they are plain lazy - you should see how quickly they move when I bring out my stick."
Dr Phillips, who wrote a number of best-selling books in the 1970s, including 'Fukushima and fault lines - why we shouldn't worry' and 'The benefits of thalidomide for expectant mothers,' said using cheap local retirees as labour would reduce costs by 70%.
"It's important to get this new Gateway up as soon as possible. Now is the time to promote the Kapiti story and it's been shown time and again that people will travel to see buildings that contain a story," Dr Karl Phillips told the Cryer on Friday.
"There is simply no other way to tell our story apart from a physical building, this is what we must do - you have the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids - we could really make this thing stand out if we do it correctly."
Dr Phillips said the process reminded him of other areas he had visited that were unsure of whether to proceed with a Gateway.
"Tooheeny, Cranston, Edlemind - these are all places that were nothing before building their Gateways. Look at them now."
Dr Phillips disagrees that Kapiti should invest in infrastructure, or proven economic drivers like the tech industry, citing South Korea - a country with few natural resources - which chose to invest in education and technology in the eighties.
"They chose the wrong path in my opinion. They have an island called Jeju that has wonderful hot springs, if they had promoted that in the eighties they'd be in a powerful economic situation now."
Dr Phillips said the Kapiti Coast was in an 'unfortunate' geographical location.
"If we were located near an important New Zealand city that had for example an overflow of diverse industries looking to expand it would be different. But this is the hand we were dealt so we need to make the most of it."
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