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The Island Bay bait house was established circa 1949. Its original purpose was to store refrigerated fish and bait in Island Bay.
Now, it stands as the Island Bay Marine Education Centre, founded by Dr Victor Anderlini and Ms. Judy Hutt in 2004
Help Save the Bait House - 'Hands off our Bait House!' - 2025
Help Save the Bait House - 'Hands off our Bait House!' - 2025
Today, the Wellington City Council has included the Bait House in its Draft South Coast Management Plan as a candidate for removal or repurposing in “5 to 7 years,” citing hazards and structural concerns. Yet the building was previously assessed as not needing earthquake strengthening until 2032.
Supporters of the centre are now being asked to speak up. With plans to expand their offerings and reach even more people, the founders are calling on the community to help ensure the centre can continue operating.
Those wishing to support can submit to Wellington City Council at:
“If no one says anything, the Council assumes they’ve got it right.”.
A Short History of the Island Bay Bait House
A Short History of the Island Bay Bait House
Fred Holden and Penelope Holden née Richards 2025
Fred Holden and Penelope Holden née Richards 2025
Originally known as the Bait Shed, this now iconic building earned a new name: The Bait House, after a major transformation over 20 years ago. The change reflected its upgraded condition and its role as more than just a basic shed.
The structure was built in 1949-50 by skilled tradesmen and funded through a lease paid by local fishermen. It was constructed in response to residents’ complaints about the strong smell coming from fishing activities along the coast. The plans were drawn up by the City Engineer, and the goal was to create a durable, functional space for the fishing community.
Later, the building was converted into a cool store, kept chilled by a large oil-driven compressor. Thick cork insulation, tarred to the brick walls and held with wooden skewers, kept the interior cold. A freezer cubicle at the back allowed bait and fish to be stored frozen.
On the outside were rows of individual bait lockers, each fisherman having their own padlocked compartment to store bait and gear. Drains in the floor allowed fish juices to flow directly into the sea. Large vents on the roof helped disperse the smell and keep air circulating.
The building’s bright yellow colour (Karitane Yellow) is said to have come from surplus paint that “fell off the back of a truck.” The colour stuck and became part of the Bait House’s identity, blending into the rocky coastline it sits against.
Over time, commercial fishing in the area declined. The work was hard and risky, and younger generations moved into safer and better-paying jobs. With less use, the Bait House eventually fell into disrepair.
In 1960, a fire (possibly caused by the compressor) left the building damaged and boarded up. It was later broken into and used by squatters. When it was eventually inspected, it was in terrible condition: full of rubbish, human waste, graffiti, and overrun by rats. The grounds around it were littered with dumped machinery and debris.
Local residents called for its demolition, claiming it was unsafe, unhygienic, and an eyesore. From that low point, the long journey to restore the Bait House began.
Image via Fred Holden 2025©
Image via Penelope Holden Bait House 2013
By Robert Logan City Voice 10th August 2000
Image via Penelope Holden Bait House 2005
The team behind the Marine Education Programmes was desperate to find a new home for their marine life and educational work, which had become hugely popular with schools across Aotearoa. They wanted a place that was welcoming, exciting, and inspiring for children - but options were limited. It was staff member Marco Zeeman who first suggested the old Bait Shed. At first, it seemed impossible - too rundown, and unlikely to get Council approval. (Marco later went on to help sink the F69 as an artificial reef, proving that nothing is too hard if you try.)
The Bait House itself lacked key facilities like toilets and a classroom. But someone suggested a solution: use the disused Island Bay Surf Club for education space, and turn the Bait Shed into the aquarium. With growing confidence, the group approached Betty Smith, former Chair of the now-defunct surf club, who supported the idea and agreed to hand over the lease.
Next came Council approval. Fortunately, back then, Wellington City Councillors and officers were more accessible and open to new ideas. Once the vision was presented, they embraced it enthusiastically and worked to help make it happen.
The team also sought support from local iwi and organisations. Representatives from Ngai Tara, Wellington Tenths Trust, Ngāti Toa, Patumakuku Inc, and the Packer Kaimoana Trust backed the proposal, seeing it as aligned with the care and understanding of te tini o Tangaroa. Longstanding partnerships with Māori training groups further strengthened the case. Local groups, including the South Coast Progressive Association, Southern Environmental Association, and the Island Bay Residents’ Association voiced their support, not wanting to see the programmes leave Island Bay.
Because the Bait House sits on Recreation Reserve land, Ministerial Consent was required. Since the organisation was a Charitable Trust providing education (not a commercial operation), consent was granted quickly. Approval also came from the Greater Wellington Regional Council and the Department of Conservation. Extensive documentation was provided to address concerns around traffic, noise, and parking. A promise was made not to change the exterior or expand the building’s footprint. Even adding the now-iconic wooden shark sculptures required another round of applications.
After navigating every challenge and clearing every hurdle, final permission was granted to begin transforming the derelict Bait House into the vibrant marine education centre it is today. It was a huge task for a small team, but as more people saw the vision, help poured in. Slowly, the project gained momentum. And then, at last, the real work began.
After spending over a year securing the necessary consents, the team behind the Island Bay Marine Education Centre faced their biggest challenge yet: turning a derelict, rat-infested wreck into a functioning marine aquarium - in just 34 days. With no funding from the Government, the Council, or any external sources, two determined individuals set out to create a welcoming, educational space for thousands of school children to explore and connect with the marine environment. It was an enormous task, but they refused to give up.
The turning point came when Murray Allerby of Jump Wellington Ltd. stepped in. Recognising the importance of the project, he managed the renovation effort and even encouraged his staff to pitch in during downtime. They used part of Jump’s Rongotai site to prepare roofing materials, painting sheet after sheet (six coats inside and out) with paint generously donated by Resene. As word spread, more people offered their time and support. For 34 days, volunteers worked from dawn until nightfall, bringing the Bait House back to life.
Since its reopening in 2004, the centre has welcomed nearly 250,000 visitors; Students, families, and curious minds are drawn to learn about and care for the ocean. The Bait House and the neighbouring “Octopus Headquarters” have become central to the centre’s success.
Island Bay Beach, looking towards The Bait House on The Parade with Fishing BoatsImage via Holden Collection ©
The Gantry and the Bait House: Bookends to Island Bay Beach
The Gantry and the Bait House: Bookends to Island Bay Beach
Barbara Hoskins nee Anton
Barbara Hoskins nee Anton
First published in Ngā Ākau ki te Tonga Southern Bays number 7 2011/2012
First published in Ngā Ākau ki te Tonga Southern Bays number 7 2011/2012
In the 1940s and 1950s as we walked around the western end of Island Bay beach towards Owhiro Bay, we passed the large, rather ugly structure on the foreshore at Fishermen’s Creek, which we referred to as ‘the gantry.’ Later in the 1950s if we walked towards Houghton Bay, past the eastern end of the beach we passed the bait house perched on the rocks. Little did we know of the great controversies and discussions of the 1920s, 30s and 40s which had resulted in the construction of these two edifices: the towering frame over Fishermen’s Creek more correctly known as ‘the Island Bay Slipway’ and the squat, little Bait House
As early as 1917 during World War l there had been complaints in the newspapers about the fishing activities on Island Bay beach – the nets, the boats and the offal. In those days the beach was a very popular swimming beach and obviously swimmers and family groups considered it a recreational area whilst the fisherman considered it a working area.
In 1917 in response to a request from the Island Bay Municipal Electors’ Association, a subcommittee of the Baths, Libraries and Beaches committee of the City Council visited Island Bay and made the following recommendations:
That the City Engineer instruct staff to supervise the beach more closely and to keep a strict watch out for broken bottles, glass etc;
That notices be erected on the beach threatening with prosecution any person found throwing bottles, glass or depositing rubbish of any description in the waters of the bay or on or about the beach;
That the Electors’ Association be informed that the portion of the beach on which washing is hung out to dry is not controlled by the council;
That the City Engineer be instructed to prepare a scheme for the construction of a fishing landing place at the area known as Fishermen’s Creek, for the construction of a slipway for storing the fishermen’s boats and generally for the reservation of an area for the purpose of establishing the fishing industry on a commercial basis and also frame such regulations for the control of the landing place, slipway and associated area.
The above recommendations were approved by the City Council but it appears little was done except that for several years on the City Estimates an item appeared for ‘Landing Shed and Slipway for Island Bay fishermen - £1250’ (later increased to £1500.) As the First World War (1914-1918) took its toll, followed by the influenza epidemic and the depression of the early 1930s, it is probably not surprising that no construction took place.
In 1929 a Commission consisting of the Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department (Mr P W Furkert) and the Secretary of the Marine Department (Mr G C Godfrey) sat at Island Bay.
The scope of the commission was to inquire into the provision of improved facilities for the handling of fish to be landed at Wellington and the prevention of pollution of the shores by the fishing industry. The commission was to report upon whether:
(a) the proposals of the City Engineer as adopted by the City Council on 20th October 1927, and for portion of which tenders had been called in London, were, in the opinion of the commission the most suitable for the handling of fish at Wellington and to prevent pollution;
(b) if not, to report upon the site and the scheme which, in its opinion, would be the most suitable;
(c) the commission to note that the City Council had resolved that the eastern side of Island Bay be not granted for a fishing wharf, on account of the best bathing beach in the city being nearby;
(d) the cost of working and upkeep should be recouped by fees payable by the fishermen.
Mr Furkert said that it was clear that the City Council would not have the eastern scheme. He understood that there was a proposal to move the fishing industry to the Island with a wharf and shed on there and that fish were to be conveyed by motor aerial [a flying fox! –ed] to the western beach, the cost not to be more than 4d per lb.
A complicated discussion ensued on the way that charges would be levied. The council’s designing engineer said that the scheme was for a jetty projecting from the island with a cleaning house and digester for the offal. The fish would be placed in cases, four cases would be placed on the carrier and the receiving platform would be 10 feet above high-water mark. Both were to be loading ends and the carrier was to be operated by an electric motor on the island. The transporter was to be operated by the fishermen at all hours of the day or night. It must carry 15 tons of goods per hour. The containers were to be fly-proof and suitable for taking the fish into town.
The fishermen stated that the wharf on the island would not be suitable because of the weather and could not be used during nine months of the year. They still considered that the eastern site would be the best idea.
Various community groups proffered their opinions – the life saving clubs said that a slipway on the eastern side would contaminate the beach and suggested a boat harbour built between Taranaki St and Clyde Quay within the harbour with a market and cold storage. A suggestion was made that the whole operation be shifted to Seatoun with the quick response that ‘the residents would at once be up in arms.’ The acting head of Island Bay School said that on the children’s account the cleanliness of the beach was imperative as it was a pleasure resort and an important swimming training ground. The Inspector of Health said it was time to abate the nuisance on the beach and the storage of bait was still a serious question as it was stored until it was too putrid to use. The Chief Inspector of Fisheries said it was a question of planning for the future. He recalled seeing idyllic villages at ‘Home’ where more fish were landed and yet the fishermen and their industry were an attraction to visitors. What was needed was enforcement of the clean handling of offal which could be turned to profit by a modern fish-reduction plant – he had seen one working in London.
The Commission submitted a report which did not recommend the adoption of a scheme for establishing the fishing industry on the island nor on the western beach. In connection with the establishment of the industry on the eastern side of the Bay, the Commission reported that this site had the unanimous support of all the fishermen and recommended that the Council should pass bylaws providing stringent regulation and also provide facilities on the eastern rocks as well as a refrigerated bait store.
In 1933 the Evening Post commented that it had been recognized for many years that a wharf was necessary, the understanding being that the Marine Department would provide an equal amount for the carrying out of the scheme. So far, so good, but where was the wharf to go? The fishermen wanted it on the eastern side of the bay, the residents said that would never do, the City Council could not make up its mind, the Marine Department (as far as the public knew) just lay low and so nothing was done. Fishing boats continued to use the bathing beach, complaints about fish heads went on and the high aroma of bait boxes filled the air.
A splendid new idea was then introduced. Build a bridge; send the fishermen over to the island and please everyone. An estimate of cost was duly made at £30,000, and at once, the bridge idea lost favour. East side, west side, were argued for a matter of a few more years. The residents of the eastern and central parts of the bay advocated a wharf on the west, the western residents said that would never do at all and the fishermen believed that the water was shallow and that conditions on that side were generally unsuitable. Another, later suggestion was the idea that the wharf should be built on the island and that transport should be provided by an overhead rope conveyor, which, it was seriously suggested, would serve on Sundays and non-fishing days for the transport of passengers.
The total estimated cost of this scheme including wharf and other facilities on the island, was about £9000. The residents on the whole were satisfied with the idea – except those who did not agree that it was necessary to send the industry from the bay shore – but the fishermen said that it would suit them neither financially nor from a working point of view.
The proposal then developed into a return to the eastern rocks wharf scheme. The main features were for a large concrete landing breastwork and wharf surface capable of receiving boats on one side and one end, bow or stern on, and for a reinforced concrete receiving store, with necessary facilities and provision for individual bait receptacles, a short road approach and loading dock for lorries. A second section of the scheme could meet with support even from those who most strongly opposed a wharf on the eastern rocks: this was that provision should be made near the necessary launch slipway for the housing of a lifeboat for Cook Strait.
The lifeboat proposal was quite an old idea – a committee had been set up to produce a detailed report after the wreck of the Progress with heavy loss of life in 1931. The loss of the launch Santina and her crew of four in 1933 had rekindled interest in the proposal.
In 1934 the Council asked the Reserves Committee to consult with the Marine Department and the Harbour Board with a view to finding a landing place for fish in the harbour. This proved to be quite impractical, so the Council agreed to set aside an area of approximately 1 rood, 5 perches on the eastern rocks for the fishing industry (subject to legislation.) This was approved by all parties and the Wellington City Empowering Bill (1934) was passed by Parliament.
In 1935 it was reported that the fishermen had offered to bear the greater part of the cost of the long-desired wharf and other facilities if the Government would make a grant. A deputation of fishermen consisting of A Wilson, J O Tait, J Pagani and W Connor placed their proposals before the minister and received a promise of consideration as soon as their plans were ready for submission to the Department. They said they had been trying for 25 years to secure facilities and they would undertake a larger part of the cost of the work and would assume full responsibility for maintenance. The Council had agreed that the work could be carried out on a point of rocks at the east side of the bay and the Government had also agreed to the site. They had engaged engineers to make a survey for the wharf and slipway and to obtain an estimate of the cost of the refrigeration plant. They estimated the cost at approximately £10,000 with £6000 of this for the refrigeration plant. The fishermen emphasised that when the original plans were discussed there were only six or seven launches working out of Island Bay but now there were thirty employing about 100 fishermen. There was a growth in the export of fish to Australia from Island Bay but good quality fish could not be guaranteed until a refrigerator was erected at the bay.
By 1941, on the western side of the bay a small slipway designed and built by Mr C B Cunningham, a marine engineer, had been erected. It was a 40 ft high steel derrick. The City Council had surveyed and designed a slipway in the early 1920s but the project was later handed over to private enterprise
Once again, from 1939 –1945 the world was at war and local events faded into insignificance as New Zealand concentrated on the war effort. By 1946 and 1947, once again there were letters to the Council from the Island Bay Life Saving Club; a report on conditions of the fishing industry from the City Engineer to the Town Clerk; a deputation to the Reserves Committee from the Island Bay Fishermen’s Association. Finally in October 1948 a proposed bait box building permit was approved by the Building Controller.
The Bait House was finally built in 1950 by Wellington City Corporation and was rented by the fishermen. The building housed a cooler with locker spaces for the storage of fish bait.
Scene showing rubbish by the bait house at Island Bay, Wellington. Dominion Post (Newspaper): Photographic negatives and prints of the Evening Post and Dominion newspapers. Ref: EP/1960/0246-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22691043
In 1956 letters appeared in the local press both supporting and complaining about the alterations to the slipway. Some considered that the slipway ‘defaced the landscape and should never have been left there after the war.’ One writer says that it was established because Italian fishermen were not allowed in Wellington harbour during the war. Others believed that as Island Bay had been the home of the local fishing industry it was still needed. The slipway had been in use for 12 years and was to be enlarged because fishing launches were 3.5 times the size they were 12 years ago. Fishing launches were using the slip four times a year as routine and it was also used for overhauls and emergency cases. The City Council was asked to allow access over some stony land not used by the public and not visible from Island Bay.
In 1959 the press proudly proclaimed ‘FINE NEW SLIPWAY FOR LOCAL CRAFT.’ Readers learned that a slipway capable of taking boats up to 100 ft in length – a long overdue necessity for both the fishing boats and the pleasure craft of Wellington – was being constructed on the coast just south of Island Bay by local marine engineer, Mr C B Cunningham. With the increase in the number of fishing boats and the increase in height and length, a big slipway had become a necessity. Some of the bigger boats had run to Nelson to be pulled from the water several times each year and this extra travel had not helped reduce the price of fish in Wellington,
In 1956 letters appeared in the local press both supporting and complaining about the alterations to the slipway. Some considered that the slipway ‘defaced the landscape and should never have been left there after the war.’ One writer says that it was established because Italian fishermen were not allowed in Wellington harbour during the war. Others believed that as Island Bay had been the home of the local fishing industry it was still needed. The slipway had been in use for 12 years and was to be enlarged because fishing launches were 3.5 times the size they were 12 years ago. Fishing launches were using the slip four times a year as routine and it was also used for overhauls and emergency cases. The City Council was asked to allow access over some stony land not used by the public and not visible from Island Bay.
In 1959 the press proudly proclaimed ‘FINE NEW SLIPWAY FOR LOCAL CRAFT.’ Readers learned that a slipway capable of taking boats up to 100 ft in length – a long overdue necessity for both the fishing boats and the pleasure craft of Wellington – was being constructed on the coast just south of Island Bay by local marine engineer, Mr C B Cunningham. With the increase in the number of fishing boats and the increase in height and length, a big slipway had become a necessity. Some of the bigger boats had run to Nelson to be pulled from the water several times each year and this extra travel had not helped reduce the price of fish in Wellington,
The rock bottom of the Fishermen’s Creek area had been gelignited four years earlier in preparation for the earthmoving operations and a power shovel and bulldozers had been scooping out crumbled rock – about 5000 cubic yards of it. A 300ft graded runway had been made with a depth of about 20ft of water at high tide at its end. The 300ft twin track bolted together in two sections and floated out on 44-gallon oil drums to the required position, would be cut loose from the drums to sink on to the prepared runway. A 40 ft steel cradle would operate on the rails and will be capable of carrying boats up to 100ft in length.
Despite the upbeat tone and enthusiasm for this venture revealed in the press in October 1959 in April 1960 a item noted:
Licence For Island Bay Slip Lost?
The Wellington City Council has decided to terminate the licence for the Island Bay slipway. This has been done at the request of residents who objected strongly to it being there and also to what they described as ‘destruction of rock scenery’ the Mayor (Sir Robert Macalister) explained yesterday.
and
Island Bay Slipway To Be Dismantled
An application from Mr C B Cunningham for renewal of his lease of City Council land in conjunction with a slipway at Island Bay was not approved by the Council last night. On the recommendation of Cr W J Arcus it was agreed that the applicant be required to dismantle the existing structure and restore the condition of the land to the satisfaction of the director of parks and reserves
The final blow to the once-proud gantry was dealt by the Wahine storm in April 1968 when its foundations were uprooted! It was then removed.
Gantry at Island Bay, Wellington, uprooted by Wahine storm. Dominion Post (Newspaper): Photographic negatives and prints of the Evening Post and Dominion newspapers. Ref: EP/1968/1668-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22855302
In 2011, the fishermen still do not have a wharf. For the eight or so launches fishing from Island Bay, most of their catch is still landed near the Bait House. It is transported in plastic containers from the launch in a dinghy, either rowed or with an outboard motor. The refurbished Bait House has become the Bait House Marine Aquarium for the Marine Education Centre. Some of the smaller launches are now hauled up at the Evans Bay Yacht Club Slipway and the larger ones go to slipways at Picton or Nelson.
Sources:A Short History of the Island Bay Bait House
History of the bait house: Episode 1, History of the bait house: Episode 2, History of the bait house: Episode 3, History of the bait house: Episode 4 The Gantry and the Bait HouseThe Evening Post, using PapersPast (www.natlib.govt.nz) Thanks for assistance to Mariano Greco and Kristin Stokes.
History of the bait house: Episode 1, History of the bait house: Episode 2, History of the bait house: Episode 3, History of the bait house: Episode 4 The Gantry and the Bait HouseThe Evening Post, using PapersPast (www.natlib.govt.nz) Thanks for assistance to Mariano Greco and Kristin Stokes.
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