Need to wake up to threat
Lower North Island collaboration vital for political and economic survival
The Lower North Island needs to wake up to the economic and political threat it faces to the north. I am convinced that the option favoured by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council for financing necessary expansion of the Port of Napier is the best one.
That is a public float of less than half of the shares in Port of Napier Limited.
The Port of Tauranga is the example to follow.
Before the Bay of Plenty Regional Council floated off to the public 45 per cent of its port company shares, Tauranga City was smaller than Hastings City.
Now, Tauranga is larger than Hastings and Napier combined.
Port of Tauranga Limited is one of the darlings of the New Zealand Stock Exchange and that reputation financially benefits Tauranga in many ways.
Just the disciplines and focus of a listed public company can make a huge difference to performance, yet majority ownership and control would remain with the citizens and ratepayers of Hawke’s Bay.
By way of comparison, CentrePort, the Port of Wellington owned by two regional councils is struggling after damage caused by the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake and despite all the geographical advantages of Wellington Harbour.
“The Golden Triangle” of Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga already generates half the economy of the country and contains two and a half million people and the numbers are growing very quickly.
The nine cities of the lower North Island (I like to include Gisborne), together with the big towns like Masterton, Hawera and Waipukurau, will need to work very closely together just for political and economic survival and for keeping at least part of the ear of the Government especially at election time.
Primarily, this means improving the transport infrastructure. Roading projects like the replacement for the Manawatu Gorge road need to be prioritised and the entire East Coast Community, not just Hawke’s Bay, needs to lobby for the yet undecided upon Otaki to Levin expressway so that it is built east of Levin not west, so it can link with State Highway 2.
The rail network which already links all the centres I have mentioned needs to be enhanced and electrified and the line between Wairoa and Gisborne needs to be urgently repaired and reopened.
We need to be collectively and actively lobbying for an extension of Wellington Airport, not just sitting back and assuming it is an issue just for Wellington people.
Better transportation means sav- ings in energy and quicker, cheaper and safer travel and freight movement.
It cuts down travel time to work, services, hospitals and places of leisure and recreation like beaches, sports stadiums and concert venues.
It helps the tourism industries throughout the region.
While we have to wake up to the threats from the Golden Triangle, we also need to accept that its continued growth is actually good — perhaps essential — for New Zealand.
We also have to be aware of the challenges of climate change and a future where petrol and diesel become much more expensive or perhaps supply is threatened for a multitude of possible reasons.
The Port of Napier is already the largest export and container port in the lower North Island.
The others — Gisborne, Wellington, Wanganui and New Plymouth — are always going to be there in some commercial form but better transportation can entrench Napier as the only large international port in the North Island, apart from Tauranga.
A properly utilised and maintained rail system is probably just as important as a new wharf in achieving that goal, but let us get the wharf built and paid for first.
‘The Golden Triangle’ of Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga already generates half the economy of the country and contains two and a half million people and the numbers are growing very quickly. Guy Wellwood
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