I'll be gutted to lose my club but sometimes the bullshark isn't worth it. This may be one of those times.
Okay, I may make myself unpopular here, but here goes...
I was actually in town this weekend, and I was shocked to look at the economic decline of the CBD. There are people panhandling on Courtenay Place now, for heaven's sake. John Key might have been wrong when he said Welly was dying, but it ain't half sick, mate. Apart from the big three employers (public service, tertiary education, Peter Jackson) the main industry left seems to be "hipsters selling each other coffee and vegan snacks".
Welnix clearly have an interest in providing something to prevent everyone worthwhile just giving up and adding to the Auckland housing bubble. And given Justin Lester's recent comments, the Council are right behind them. But yesterday I felt the clear whiff of a city desperation. I'm sure Gallop can smell it all the way from Newcastle.
We had Peter Jackson twisting the arm of the Government to smash the Actors' Union with the threat of taking movies elsewhere (and of course they've gone elsewhere anyway, Northern Ireland in particular). We had that shyster "Mystery" Morrison bringing in a call centre which just went up in smoke. This is what happens when local business/government are desperate to "attract investment" - they get shafted, and then the investment just goes away in a couple of years when they find someone more desperate to exploit. Bottom line for me? FFA know we're desperate and the question is not whether Welnix will bend over, it's how far they'll bend over; when they bend, do they spread; and who's got the Vaseline.
Tl:dr; I am predicting a renewal with absolutely sharkhouse conditions, which Welnix will grit their teeth and suck up.
Tldr: I walked through courtenay place, saw coffee shops and a few people asking for money and concluded that Wellington is dying as a city.