To all those who wish for a “vibrant” CBD, town, etc. I would first point out that everyone has a different notion of what “vibrant” means.
For some it is more cafes and bars — for others it is exclusive walking spaces or cycleways. Some want more sports facilities; others want to see the arts and crafts thrive.
For some, it is simply to have a more people/social-oriented place — more people “buzzing” about in an environment that satisfies their needs. What one person might like, another may not.
However, it would seem most do not recognise that “vibrancy” cannot somehow be magicked up. It relies on one thing — people with jobs and money in their pockets.
In turn, this needs employers/businesses able to pursue their activities profitably — they too need a particular type of environment.
This is why it is so difficult for many places to attract new businesses and industry.
Those who do not recognise these essentials are delusional about Gisborne (or anywhere) being “vibrant”.
Another “must” for a thriving community is a council that does not waste money on “feel-good, nice-to-look-at” window dressing or vanity works; nor on costly and misguided efforts to engineer new business or tourism; nor gets involved in matters that are none of its concern, such as culture arguments and road crossings.
The loss of the freezing works, Watties, Juken — the huge problems of forestry — are painful lessons in how vulnerable the region is as a very small player with eggs in few baskets.
Even the world’s big cities are grappling with similar major issues — infrastructure, housing, transport, changing technology. Here, examples are the sale of the Gisborne Herald to NZME and the move to online news, the future of our port and links to the rest of New Zealand, and the future of agriculture.
If Gisborne wants to be “vibrant” it needs to look far beyond “Streets for People”.
Gisborne and the East Coast require much better, broader forward-thinking than the district has had to date.
(I recommend reading Age of the City: Why our future will be won or lost together, by Ian Goldin and Tom Lee-Devlin, in the HB Williams Memorial Library.)
Roger Handford
