Golden Bay businesses hit by Gita seek govt help
Golden Bay businesses facing severe losses are calling for urgent government help following the impact of ex-cyclone Gita.
About 100 business owners and community members attended a meeting at the recreation centre in Takaka on Tuesday night.
The limited road access on Takaka Hill is a major concern for Golden Bay business owners and tourist operators who are suffering huge loses after having their summer dramatically cut short.
The hill is only open to restricted access by convoy for just a few hours morning and night six days a week, and all day on Sunday.
Sollys Freight owner Merv Solly said the company’s production was halved.
‘‘We were doing 16 loads per truck every day, we are now at six or seven,’’ he said.
There had been ‘‘a lot of broken hearts this week’’ catching up on the bills.
Some companies had started charging a Takaka Hill surcharge, he said.
‘‘I just beg for the people to think not just about themselves for a while. We have got issues now with freight building up all down the system … it’s going to get worse.’’
One woman wanted to remind the community that it wasn’t just businesses suffering.
She said the health impact was ‘‘very severe’’ in some cases.
‘‘There are people driving daily to chemo, and others who have some quite serious things going on their lives that require them to drive to Nelson and back..’’
One woman said it ‘‘wasn’t just tourism’’, but tradespeople and doctors, who were also suffering.
Ratanui Lodge co-owner Steve Wakeman said tourism was initially immediately affected by this.
‘‘But we are here standing with Merv Solly, with the builders, with the farmers, with the hospital people and everybody else to get this place going again .
‘‘It’s not ‘us against them’ ... tourism got this meeting started but the Bay is going to get it finished,’’ Wakeman said.
Tourism accounts for approximately 20 per cent of the Golden Bay economy and an econ- omic impact survey by Golden Bay Promotions revealed a dire outlook for many.
Based on the responses from 84 operators, more than half have had their turnover reduced by over 50 per cent – and in some cases by almost 100 per cent.
At least one business has closed already as a direct result of the loss of tourists, and 75 per cent have laid off at least one, and in some cases, up to 10 staff.
It was also revealed that 83 per cent of respondents did not know where to go for financial advice or assistance.
Representatives from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), Nelson Regional Development Agency (NRDA), Ministry of Social Development and Inland Revenue were present at the meeting, chaired by Nelson lawyer Sue Grey.
She said the people of Golden Bay ‘‘urgently request’’ the government to recognise the severity of the problem.
NZTA system manager Frank Porter acknowledged it had been a ‘‘traumatic event on the hill’’.
‘‘The Kaikoura earthquake affected the East Coast communi- ties and even the Marlborough area has really suffered, but it hasn’t suffered to the extent that you guys are currently suffering,’’ he said.
It’s focus was just getting the road to a ‘‘reasonable state’’.
Porter said the target milestones was that within two weeks it would have trucks towing trailers and some over-dimension vehicles.
The next target was after Easter to have traffic management on a single-lane for vehicles without convoys, apart from times it needed to do work.
NRDA Mark Rawson said its agency was working with the Ministry of Business and MSD to coordinate an emergency response package, and then look into the long-term effect.
‘‘At the moment [central government] are benchmarking this against the Kaikoura earthquake … and Edgecumbe.
‘‘At the moment they are saying, ‘we need to understand more’ … I’m here to get data about how this is affecting you.’’
A follow-up meeting with Tasman mayor Richard Kempthorne is scheduled for March 12.