Editorial: Ferry dream still has a long way to go

Mark Dawson, Editor of Wanganui Chronicle

A long time ago in a land not so far away ... Neville Johnson had a very smart idea.

An experienced businessman, his smart idea was a ferry service between Whanganui and the South Island (this is a ferry story, not a fairy story).

He spent a good while collecting data - the needs of companies to get freight across the Cook Strait using as little time and fuel as possible etc - and slowly built his case.

Last week his idea took a step forward when a feasibility study was released showing that such a service could make $30 million revenue a year, producing up to $7 million profit within three years.

It is a tantalising prospect for a district looking for a way to fire up its economic engine, and Mr Johnson is to be applauded for bringing it so far.

But the cheerleaders need to put their pompoms down for a spell, for this dream is still an awful long way from becoming reality. It is a distant speck on the horizon - a bit like Motueka or Nelson.

There was a thought that the start-up capital for his ship and docking station might come from those companies which would benefit from an alternative route to Wellington-Picton, but there is no immediate sign of that.

There is also the fish-hook of environmental considerations, especially with Motueka.
And there is the issue of dredging the Whanganui River to maintain a channel for a sizeable (180-metres is one projection) vessel.

Throw in the weather which - along with the river - has a mind of its own, as we have all found to our cost, and which pays no heed to a sound business case.

In short, there's a lot of water to flow under this ferry before it sets sail, and while it is easy to go overboard, a cautious and circumspect approach is called for, and expectations should be kept in check.