Does Wellington Zoo want pandas or not?
New documents show there's been a breakdown in communications with the Wellington City Council.
The letter Gerry Brownlee delivered to Chengdu on behalf of Wellington City last month has been leaked, and it indicates wires have been crossed somewhere.
Wellington Zoo told council officials it wasn't keen on having pandas because of the significant costs involved and it would be "playing with fire" with the zoo's future if they acquired some.
Despite this, Mayor Celia Wade Brown wrote to unofficial panda minister Gerry Brownlee telling him the zoo had "enthusiasm and excitement" for the bears.
It went on to say the zoo echoed the council's sentiments, and was keen to progress with the plan.
There's no explanation yet for the mix-up but it seems a keen council vetoed a reluctant zoo.
The September 25 letter said: "We have discussed the proposal again with Ross Martin, chair of Wellington Zoo Trust, and Karen Fifield, chief executive of Wellington Zoo... They both echo our sentiments that this is an exciting proposal and they are very keen to progress it".
But this runs directly counter to what the zoo's chief executive told the council on March 19, when Ms Fifield said: "I think we are playing with fire with the zoo's future if we proceed".
Meanwhile, Labour MP Trevor Mallard says he wants a rethink of the idea.
"A feasibility study of US zoos has shown that pandas don't work and that zoos would be placed at risk, at financial risk, if in fact they did have pandas," says Mr Mallard.
Prime Minister John Key has previously said pandas were a "subject close to my heart" and the Government would make a contribution to bringing pandas to the zoo when the cost is known, but "not necessarily massive".
It is estimated it would cost around $10 million to create an enclosure for the pandas and around $1.3 million a year to lease them.
Mr Mallard says although cute and cuddly, baby pandas won't lift visitor numbers, with Labour leader Andrew Little saying it's a "nice idea" but priority should be given to the economy.
3 News / RadioLIVE
