Nats’ election campaign on the wrong track

Gisborne Rail Action Group members push the case for reinstating rail to Gisborne outside a talk by National Party leader Christopher Luxon this week. From left they are Derek Barthow, Suzanne Orchard, Ron Elder, Gillian Ward, Markus Szillat and May Ruby. Pascale Delos and Lesley Hawkins are behind a placard. Picture supplied

Opinion

Re: National ready to get to work — Luxon, August 8 story.

The National Party campaign “Back on Track” is on the “wrong track”! They have “tunnel vision” with their transport policy focusing only on investment in roads. Instead, their campaign should be “de-railed”, and they should “fast track” investment into regional rail throughout Aotearoa!

A group of eight people from the Gisborne Rail Action Group held placards and talked with people as they arrived for the presentation from Christopher Luxon at the Lawson Field Theatre on Monday.

Gisborne and Wairoa District Councils, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, and local growers are requesting that rail be included as part of a more comprehensive transport network that includes roads, rail and sea to better provide resilience for the growing transport needs of the northern Hawke’s Bay/Tairāwhiti region.

Dana Kirkpatrick acknowledged our group with a smile as she arrived for the meeting but didn’t engage with us, and Christopher Luxon entered the theatre by the back entrance — probably to avoid our group.

Meredith Akuhata-Brown attended the meeting and spoke after Mr Luxon’s presentation. She said, “National’s statement about getting NZ ‘back on track’ is perfect for reinstating our rail. Our region needs rail!”

However, Christopher Luxon ruled out rail for Gisborne. He said he was supportive of rail, but that the density of Gisborne didn’t support it. But, rail is needed here not because of the population (ie, not passenger rail initially) but because of the containerised fresh produce and processed timber which needs to be freighted, much of this to Napier Port, for export.

At Eastland Port a lot has been learnt from the coastal container shipping trial following Cyclone Gabrielle, but the port will not be able to offer the reliability or the bulk capacity the railway could offer for transporting containers.

Without the railway line being able to carry the bulk of the fresh produce and processed timber exports from te Tairāwhiti, our producers will be largely locked into dependence on high-carbon-emitting diesel trucks.

Gillian Ward

Chair, Gisborne Rail Action Group