Anger, concern over Manawatu Gorge closure

Thursday, 20 July 2017

Woodville residents meet in the town's sport stadium with transport officials and community leaders.

Frustrated Woodville business owners and residents came out firing with both barrels at a heated public meeting about the Manawatu Gorge closure.

The town, on the Hawke's Bay side of the gorge, has been hit hard by the indefinite closure of State Highway 3, as the 7000 or so vehicles taking alternative routes don't need to call in.

This has caused a dramatic drop in trade for businesses.

Several politicians spoke at the end of the meeting, including NZ First leader Winston Peters, right. NZ First's Wairarapa candidate Ron Mark, left, sits next to him.

More than 300 people crowded into the Woodville Sports Stadium on Wednesday night to hear from transport officials and politicians, and get a chance to have their say.

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Tararua Mayor Tracey Collis said the council would be going to Government to see if residents could get rebates on petrol tax and road user charges.

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A similar meeting held earlier in the evening in Ashhurst also drew more than 300 people.

The gorge road closed on April 24 when a large slip came down and is now shut indefinitely because of safety concerns.

In Woodville, revenue has fallen by up to 80 per cent for some businesses, commuters across the range face extra vehicle maintenance and petrol costs, and their are widespread safety concerns about trucks on Saddle Rd and longer ambulance response times.

Wednesday's meeting lasted more than 90 minutes as the Tararua councillors roaming the crowd with microphones struggled to let everyone have their, occasionally angry, say.

New Zealand Transport Agency relationship manager Emma Speight both acknowledged the town's frustration and promised officials were workingto find a solution to the gorge problem.

The agency had invited three organisations to apply for a tender to investigate long-term options. Tenders close in mid-August and a final recommendation was expected in December in a fast-tracked process.

That would then go out for public consultation and a permanent fix was expected within three years.

Woodville resident Glenys Pryde said townsfolk were fed up with the years of inaction, and this part of the process could have been done years ago if the Government had taken the problem seriously.

The gorge has faced repeated closure over the years, including one lasting more than a year in 2011/12.

'They've had six years to get their act together, they've known for at least that long the Gorge Road was an unstable proposition.

'I don't think anyone will be happy until they sort something out to get the gorge open again.'

Ballance Valley Rd resident Jason Eiseng was satisfied something was happening and urged people to be patient.

'People have to realise it is what is, there's not going to be a quick fix. The gorge is shut. We should forget about the past and move forward.'

Woodville family man Dwayne Black said while the meeting presents some information, there were still many questions for the council and transport officials to answer.

One of his biggest concerns was how the gorge closure affected response times to medical emergencies in Tararua.

Just after the gorge closed, his 9-month-old daughter choked and inhaled food and vomit into her lungs.

It took one and a half hours for an ambulance to arrive.

Tararua mayor Tracey Collis said the council planned to ask St John and the Midcentral DHB to increase the number of ambulances in the region.

'When we lost the Dannevirke hospital services [earlier in the year], part of the deal was we were within roughly 30 minutes of Palmerston North Hospital.

'That's clearly not the case at the moment, so we will be raising that with the DHB.'

Several people expressed their anger and dissatisfaction with the Government's stance that an economic rescue package is not needed. Some asked if the council would step into the breach with measures such as a rates rebate.

Collis said that wasn't on the cards, because the council still had to fund ongoing projects and its usual business.

But, she raised the possibility of working with the Government to help reduce the burden the closure was putting on motorists in the area.

'Not everyone affected is a ratepayer. Maybe we can get something done around petrol [tax] and road-user charges.'

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, Wairarapa National MP Alastair Scott, and the region's Green candidate John Hart all made an appearance at the meeting, to mixed receptions.

Peters and Hart both blamed the current situation on years of Government under-funding for the provinces. They promised to rectify that if they got into power and were met with raucous applause.

But the crowd turned sour when National's Scott stepped up, shouting him down as he tried to explain how National's focus on trade would be more beneficial than the opposition parties' promises.