Cape road reservations

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

All 10 kilometres of East Cape Road could be sealed under the district’s Integrated Transport Priority Plan, but Gisborne District councillors — who do want the whole road sealed — reject a suggestion to prioritise it for completion within the first year of the plan.

The full sealing project, costed at more than $15 million, will proceed only if funding is obtained from the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund.

Councillors are concerned that East Cape Road, popular with tourists, could be prioritised by staff ahead of other roading needs.

They endorsed the plan yesterday, with a request that the road be fully sealed. The ITPP as it stands includes funding of $1.6m for sealing only those parts of East Cape Road between existing sections of sealed road.

Graeme Thomson said he was concerned that other Gisborne roading programmes might miss out with so much funding directed at one road.

The Government had a limited amount of money. He described prioritising the road as ad hoc policy and bad process.

Wharekopae Road was an important ‘‘escape’’ road when the main road to northern markets failed.

An upgrade had previously been planned but had not happened.

Under any prioritising “based on where we want extra cash’’, Wharekopae Road would be rated highly.

Brian Wilson said there was a “lolly scramble” with funding from the new Government, but reality was starting to appear, with fuel taxes contributing to the funding of the new road safety and public transport plan.

Mr Wilson said he could not prioritise one project ahead of others.

He could only support such a project if it was “on top of everything else”.

The proposed prioritising of East Cape Road was a $15m ad hoc policy, which he could not support.

Cape a ‘one-off’ opportunity for council to actBill Burdett, who represents Matakaoa-Waiapu, said he was responding to councillors Thompson and Wilson.

The council was a “district” council, which represented the “people up the northern end, particularly on East Cape”.

Sealing East Cape Road had been promised by the previous government.

The council had a one-off opportunity.

“If we go back years, we as a council made a commitment to that East Cape Road — and then took the money away.”

Mr Burdett said he was not suggesting the entire road to the lighthouse be sealed but “bringing it up to a decent standard’’ would be better than its current condition.

Shannon Dowsing said he supported rejecting the first year part of the recommendation.

Council should not ‘‘miss the boat” with the $1.6m of government funding already allocated.

Mayor Meng Foon said the proposed prioritising of East Coast Road was not ‘‘ad hoc policy’’. It had been discussed for some time.

The road was one of the busiest off-roads on the East Coast because of the popularity of the lighthouse with tourists.

“It is a very acute road with the sea washing underneath.”

Many cars went off the road, with drivers unaccustomed to the gravel.

All roads included in the ITPP needed a business case.

“I’m sure all the business cases are lying somewhere in the files or the gigabytes — all ready to pounce.”

The Government policy was a one-off.

“Let’s take advantage of it.

“I’m lobbying hard in government circles, fighting for our share.

Council chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann said industry, iwi, Eastland Port, farming and forestry were involved in identifying vulnerable roads.

She believed the process had been well delivered.

David Wilson, director of lifelines, said the ITPP process was the most robust one he had been involved with, which included one-on-one interviews.

He told The Herald Wharekopae Road was included within the ITPP.