Grappling with the big issues

"If they were serious about future-proofing that road they would have done it back then." NZ First list MP and Palmerston North candidate Darroch Ball

The gloves came off as Manawatu politicians grappled with the Manawatu Gorge, slamming past inaction before this year’s indefinite highway closure.

Questions from the crowd at a candidates meeting held at St Albans Church in Palmerston North on Tuesday focused on the gorge as frustrated voters asked candidates for the city electorate what they planned to do about it.

National’s Palmerston North candidate Adrienne Pierce said now the gorge was labelled a road of national significance, progress would be swift.

‘‘That cuts through a whole lot of resource consent so we can get things done, fast.’’

She said the Government was waiting to hear from the New Zealand Transport Agency in December about which option they felt was suitable to address the issue and then National would go from there.

Personally, she wanted to see a four-lane highway built with a cycle lane down the side.

But NZ First list MP and Palmerston North candidate Darroch Ball slammed National, saying it was future-proofing the road after the fact.

‘‘The gorge has had problems for years. We had a major slip in 2011. What did the National Party do? Nothing.’’

He said National was given five different options for alternatives or fixes from the transport agency in 2012 and decided not to act on any of them.

‘‘If they were serious about future-proofing that road, they would have done it back then.’’

Palmerston North Labour MP Iain Lees-galloway said the Manawatu Gorge always seemed to have slips in election years, such as 2011.

‘‘When I said at that time ‘the gorge has become too unstable for us to rely on’, I was attacked by the National Party for wanting to waste taxpayer money on an unnecessary road and six years later, here we are.’’

This area was the transport and logistics centre for the lower North Island and Lees-galloway said the road had been left to waste.

Green Party Palmerston North candidate Thomas Nash said the party wanted the ‘‘Ruahine Runner’’ train to ferry passengers through the gorge as a practical solution until it could be fixed long term.

ACT Party Otaki candidate Wayne Grattan said the problem started when Labour was in power nine years ago, as it underfunded the roads.

ACT is not standing anyone in Palmerston North.

‘‘There has been a catch-up ever since then.’’

Gratton claimed National had a better track record when it came to the roading network and was more likely to fix the problem.

But the audience remained sceptical, with one woman asking what trust they could put in the candidates to follow through on all they were promising. Loud applause followed.

Lees-galloway said with the arrival of MMP, the days of politicians promising and not delivering were over.

‘‘It is a leap of faith and you will have to trust we will do that.’’

Grattan said the election had been a lolly scramble.