Clive Bibby: Our future in the Hands of Amateurs

This column is not meant to be an attack on the integrity of those in charge of regional business - simply an attempt at drawing attention to the inadequate responses by Council to our real needs.

Here on the East Coast, we lurch from one damaging climate event to the next yet the response from Council appears to be one of an ambulance parked up at the bottom of the cliff.

In the meantime projects that have a real chance of accommodating the need for change are ignored or put on the backburner until funding becomes a higher priority.

A classic example of this lack of visionary approach is our Council's handling of the East Coast tourism industry which is currently dependent almost exclusively on access to the historic Tolaga Bay Wharf.

This monument to past generational endeavour has been closed to public access for almost a year now and the locals are waiting for a credible answer as to why.

Readers should know that Tourism on the Coast, particularly for travelers coming north from Gisborne, starts or finishes with public access to the Wharf and it's surrounding attractions.

And local businesses dependent on the associated trade are left scrambling for the rats and mice income from those who choose to make the trip inspired of the closure.

As one of those who raised the $7 million for the wharf restoration, I was responsible for getting a commitment from Council Engineers that would ensure adequate funds were available for future (mainly cosmetic) repairs to the Wharf superstructure - thereby ensuring public safety for future generations of visitors.

At the time of handover at the finish of Stage One (which established the Wharf structure as fit to survive at least another 50 - 60 years of public access) Council agreed to use those funds exclusively as part of their Tolaga Bay Wharf R&M budget.

That commitment should have meant there was at least $260,000 allocated funds available for any structural repairs that were considered a danger to public safety in the 13 plus years following the reopening.

Well, believe it or not, the Council has chosen to spend that money on multiple engineers' reports that say the Wharf is currently unsafe and requires immediate attention before being open to the public once more.

Out of sheer exasperation, the locals have decided to do what they always do - cut holes in the barrier erected to prevent access but the damage to the tourism industry (worth in excess of $2 million to the local economy from visits to this iconic destination alone) is already done.

Unfortunately, incompetent management of the East Coast tourism destinations is not limited to the Tolaga Bay wharf access alone.

Further north, a visionary project to restore the Tokomaru Bay wharf and some of it's associated historic freezing works buildings has stalled due to lack of competent oversight and Council support for the project.

Furthermore, another multi million dollar project to accommodate the transition from an unsustainable livestock dominant economy on the East Coast to one that is in harmony with the environment languishes on the Council Long Term Plan lacking urgency while Rome burns.

If my comments sound like that of a jilted wife at the altar, I make no apologies for pointing these home truths out to anyone who has the ability to make things happen.

My life is coming to an end but it would be nice to know that somebody in high places is motivated by my cry for help.

It shouldn't be just a matter of money

Where there is a will, there is always a way.

How true!

Clive Bibby is a commentator, consultant, farmer and community leader, who lives in Tolaga Bay.