Lyall Bay group looks to toilet humour in wake of Moa Point failure

A resident of Lyall Bay, on Wellington's south coast, says some well-placed toilet humour could be an antidote to tough times in the community.

Informal community group, The High Tide Club is seeking backers to raise $7000 to build a more than four-metre-tall inflatable poo emoji to float out in the surf of the bay.

Club member Johnny Carpenter said after a year blighted by the catastrophic failure of the nearby Moa Point waste water plant and severe storm damage, the community deserved to make their own statement.

"Hopefully it just gives people a laugh and, maybe around the council table, it will get people talking and getting more motivated to get this problem fixed.

"If a few people decide to get their wallet out for a laugh and a conversation then I think it's money well spent," Carpenter said.

Carpenter, who works as a real-estate agent in the area, said The High Tide Club had sprung from a handful of locals who used debris strewn on the beach after recent storms to build a driftwood Tiki Bar on the shorefront at the beginning of the year.

"Most people in Wellington, whether you're a business owner or someone who's just lost a job or lost an income, that combined with the environmental disaster that's on our doorstep… We've joked that the club's become a bastion of hope in the community, which might be a bit rich but probably rings true in some respects," Carpenter said.

Carpenter said a Pledge-me campaign was awaiting approval and should go up on-line shortly.

Co-owner of the Maranui Café in Lyall Bay, Katie Richardson said she appreciated the humour but she was unsure if the poo emoji was something she wanted to tie the community's identity to.

"I do think it's quite funny. When I saw it, I laughed I thought 'Oh my god that's hilarious'. [Making] light of a serious situation, because it's not a great situation, but it's going to get fixed soon hopefully anyway," Richardson said.

Owner and principal manufacturer of Verdure Surfboards, Jack Candlish was less impressed.

He said since the failure of the wastewater plant he'd lost 40 percent of his business.

"I don't know if it's a good idea. I think it's already embarrassing enough, the situation as it is and I don't know if adding that will be constructive," Candlish said.

He said the massive amount of sewage which had flooded into the sea, so close to the airport of New Zealand's capital city, made a mockery of the country's clean green image.

"It's been the hardest financial year for me personally it's hard for me to find a humorous aspect to it.

"All the businesses around here have been really struggling. We had a meeting with the council and one of the business owners broke down in tears. That's how devastating it's been for us.

"If they want to do it, that's totally cool, but I don't think the business owners will be contributing to the fundraiser," Candlish said.

Candlish said he was considering relocating his business further north but, after a "rollercoaster" year, he wasn't sure how he could even afford to do that.

"It's not getting any better. Maybe I need to do a Pledge-Me campaign," he said.