The Rakaia Salmon statue needs a refresh but the scale and cost is yet to be determined. Photo: Supplied/ Ashburton District Council
The iconic Rakaia Salmon needs a facelift - and cash to fund it.
The iconic giant Rakaia Salmon needs a facelift - and cash to fund it.
Ashburton District Council's open spaces manager Ian Soper said a structural and maintenance assessment showed the 12 metre high statue needed a lot of work.
The good news is the work can be done on-site, he said.
"The work can be done in situ, so it won't need to be cut down and transported."
It will need scaffolding erected and plastic wrapped round it to contain the fibreglass work, he said.
The upgrade is unbudgeted work and once quotes have been obtained a report will come to the council "to see where that sits financially".
The statue, built in 1991 with funding from the Rakaia Lions Club, was gifted to the council about 18 years ago.
The area around the salmon was redeveloped between 2020 and 2021.
That project received a $739,945 grant from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund, $20,000 from the Rakaia Lions, and the council funded the remaining $198,000. The bulk of the project budget was spent on a new public toilet facility.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
