Ports pin hope on public purse to stay af loat

Public money is needed to save two struggling ports on the West Coast, regional leaders say.

The Government’s $3 billion Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) has bankrolled a feasibility study into upgrading Westport and Greymouth ports.

Both ports are owned and managed by their respective district councils, and both are struggling financially.

Westport port ended the

2016-17 year with a pre-tax loss of

$948,000. It lost its biggest customer in July 2016 when Holcim stopped shipping cement from its Westport plant and closed it down. Greymouth port has been losing money for the Grey District Council for 50 years.

The entrance to both ports is made perilous by often rough sand bars. Fishing boats are left stuck out at sea during low tide because of built-up silt. All coal is sent by rail from the West Coast to Lyttelton Port.

Westport Port manager Jackie Mathers said the Buller District Council decided to stop dredging the Westport lagoon and Buller River bar when Holcim stopped shipping cement.

She said the Westport lagoon was deep enough for fishing boats, but the bar was being monitored. It had been down to

1.7 metres during low tide, but had been naturally cleared recently to 3.4m.

The council had too few ratepayers to prop up the cost of the port operations, but Westport’s port needed upgrading to ensure the viability of the fishing industry. Upgrading the port could also attract more opportunities in recreational fishing and other marine industries. The port was busy during hoki and tuna seasons and the Talley’s fish processing plant employed up to 120 locals.

‘‘When you look at the Kaiko¯ura and Golden Bay examples, when they were cut off [by storms in February] what was the method used to both get people out and to bring supplies in . . . The answer is the sea. We have two roads which are vulnerable in the event of a major catastrophe. Resilience is a big part of why we need to ensure the port survives,’’ Mathers said.

‘‘My mantra is that we are called Westport. If we didn’t have a port we may as well change the name to West.’’

According to the council’s last annual report, 2017 was a ‘‘very testing and trying’’ year being the first year of operation without Holcim’s trade. It had earned

$1.37m from leasing out its dredge, which helped offset the loss of revenue from Holcim.

The PGF has already provided

$750,000 to allow the slipway and lagoon at Greymouth Port to be dredged to 4m. The Westport Port-owned dredge will be used for the work. ‘‘The fishing industry is essential to Coasters, with the Port of Greymouth lagoon seeing up to 70 vessels a day during hoki and tuna season,’’ Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones said.

The concept of a family required to sing Faure´’s Requiem at their mother’s funeral may seem a little far-fetched – until you see the play; then it makes sense, not only because of the background and upbringing of this otherwise ordinary group of siblings, but because of the way that writer Alison Quigan uses music to tell their (and our) story of memories, relationships and emotions.

Equally far-fetched is the idea of assembling a cast of seven professional actors capable of delivering the music effectively. Well, here they are; and magnificent to boot.

As the family discover and sing from the sheet music they find littered over their mother’s piano, I am reminded of my own exploration of the large and eclectic ‘library’ of music stacked on my own mother’s piano, and how those discoveries have shaped my own life.

The singing of the whole cast creates many moments of magic, mostly of old songs, but with such poignant effect that they bring feelings of nostalgia for the richness of life before the age of television and smart phones. And Paul Barrett’s impressive talents as pianist, singer and actor create a solid foundation for the musical base of this quirky domestic comedy. Ross Gumbley’s direction allows the more poignant moments to make their full impact, and the cast make the most of the space that he gives them to bring a superb sense of ensemble to the whole performance. The play itself is full of comedy; sometimes with oneliner cliche´s turned to resonant effect as we all identify with family tensions during such times as funeral planning, and sometimes with genuine wit and invention. But it’s the music that gives the play a thread of fluid pace and engagement.

But there are flaws. The onstage absence of spouses and other family members is dramatically unconvincing and a few early gags about Aunty Nola’s deafness were quickly forgotten, giving the character a degree of inconsistency. I also found the contrast between the family harmony and kinship, especially during the musical moments, and the episodes of argument and disagreement to be rather overdone, particularly the final confrontation the night before the funeral.

Even so, I enjoyed the production for its many resonances, for the musical moments, and for the excellent performances of the cast.

Mum’s Choir by Alison Quigan. Directed by Ross Gumbley. Court Theatre, Christchurch. September 15 to October 6.