A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Opinion
Your editorial suggesting “Negative views will be proved wrong”, relating to the Navigations Project, will I believe long-term see you proved wrong, and the majority who voted in the negative proved right.
Problem is there is no way of measuring it. We will eventually know the cost, but will never
know the true outcome of all those millions.
Advocates of the current Navigations Project and well-paid consultants talk of the project bringing over 10,000 visitors to Gisborne.
To the best of my knowledge there have only been two entities that have in a single marketing exercise (where the cost is known) brought into Gisborne in excess of 10,000 visitors (and still counting). They are the team from Rhythm and Vines with their concerts, and the Gisborne District councillors who voted the funds to bring in cruise ships. They were both good little earners and created employment. Proper tourism!
I sat on the original committee when the concept of the Navigations Project was first evaluated. Some of the original tourism plans did show great potential. I resigned when the project left being a tourism one creating employment and revenue, and turned into a social project. It was not tangible tourism product.
