Berl should be accountable

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

Opinion

Reply to Ray Hill, April 18 letter and W Brown, April 20 letter.

Ray, your letter was pretty immature I felt. You're clearly in the 86 percent from the Gisborne Herald poll wanting the Gisborne to Wairoa line repaired.

W. Brown, I am questioning the BERL report and would like it presented at a public meeting, so they are accountable for their finding of $30 million to reopen the line.

BERL also said that if work was to start by this month, the line could be open for the 2021/22 summer harvest season. It took two years to get the Wairoa to Napier line repaired and open (total cost unknown), and it had very little damage compared to the Gisborne to Wairoa line.

BERL could start with the cost to rebuild the Tikiwhata blowout and how it will be totally rebuilt. I'm sure The Gisborne Herald could present a photo. I have stated before, 50m across, 50m deep — so does that warrant a viaduct or will that be filled in and compacted? My estimate 500,000m3.

To me Gisborne is the fruit and vegetable capital of New Zealand.

I respect and don't doubt Rick Thorpe's figure of 6000 containers by 2025 (February 14, 2020). My idea of coastal freighters might not help much. What goes over the Gisborne wharf now? Is it logs along with kiwifruit and pumpkins only?

I stand by what I said in my letter of April 18, 2020 — spend $30m or whatever it takes on the Gisborne to Napier road. Remember, another major slip in the Waioeka Gorge could isolate Gisborne north for weeks.

The Government owes Gisborne for the amount of exports that come out of the area, so pour the money into the Gisborne to Napier road first. Even Mahia has farming, crayfish exports and Rocket Lab, Ray Hill — so get your head out of the clouds and you can have your say at a public meeting.

Merv Goodley