Queenstown Lakes District Council staff sought the Wānaka-Upper Clutha community board’s approval to remove the Ardmore St jetty, officially called "Jetty 149 Roys Bay".
But the community board voted instead to request that the council maintain the use of the present jetty until the completion of a planned new wharf nearby.
Council facilities and fleet manager Stefan Amston, who presented to the community board last week, said maintenance of the jetty cost $20,000 to $25,000 per year .
The report he presented to the community board said the Ardmore St jetty had reached the "end of its serviceable life".
"The most recent weather event in the spring of 2025 has caused extensive damage, including washout of the approach and lateral displacement of the deck at the abutment. The timber piles and beams are significantly degraded with rot, splitting, and section loss is evident.
"The deck is bowed, and the timber edging is loose and deteriorating.
"Loose nails and uneven surfacing present trip hazards, adding to the safety concerns," the report said.
Board chairman Simon Telfer said he was disappointed the report did not acknowledge the "community board pushing hard" for the new jetty.
"The community board is going in a very clear direction that one of our key priorities is the creation of a new jetty and to ideally align with Helwick St.
"That’s been well signalled for a number of months now," he said.
Cr Niki Gladding, of the Wānaka-Upper Clutha ward, said "as long as it is safe" she did not see the down side of retaining the current structure until the new one was operating.
"If we don’t have a clear path or drive from staff, kids will miss out," she said.
Cr Cody Tucker said he would rather the money for maintenance be spent on planning and developing a new jetty.
"I don’t think that fixing this wharf is going to incentivise the other wharf to be developed quicker.
"Instead of Band-Aiding something extremely problematic ... spend time and resource on building something that’s future-focused and meant for long term," he said.
Forest & Bird Central Otago Lakes branch chairman Andrew Penniket said he thought there would not be any disruption to wildlife during the removal of the present jetty, including for the southern crested grebe (pūteketeke)
"Grebe nest around 100m away — closer to the marina — and are quite used to boats coming and going.
"It might disrupt the eels more than anything but they will come back," he said.
