Floods blamed on Govt neglect

Press, 26 September 1988, Page 1

Floods blamed on Govt neglect

By

PAT TAYLOR,

in Greymouth

The Government is neglecting those areas of New Zealand prone to natural disasters such as floods, says the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bolger.

Mr Bolger visited West Coast towns still mopping up after the second flood in five months on Friday and Saturday. He told the Coasters that the $2.5 million spent on the Government’s “taxation propaganda programme” could have been spent on flood protection or keeping West Coast hospitals open. “Such money could equally have been spent on improving iflood protection for communities such as Greymouth, or replanting much of the hill country that was devastated by Cyclone Bola in the North Island,” he said. “It is impossible to control nature and entirely prevent floods. It is possible, however, to make greater provision for natural disasters by preparing in advance. This the Government refuses to do.

“Cuts in catchment programmes will destroy thousands of hectares of land as well as increasing the flood risk for a number of communities. "According to the Westland Catchment Board’s general manager (Mr Warwick Coombridge) much of the damage can be directly blamed on the Government’s cuts in flood protection funding,” he said. Mr Bolger said that in November, 1986, the Government had been warned of the danger with the cuts but had chosen to ignore that warning. "Shortsighted Government policies have left a shell-shocked community which, while strugggling to survive Labour’s crippling economic policies, is simply unable to bear the extra burden of another $lO million bill to repair the damage,” he said. Mr Bolger said that people all admired the “many tales of personal courage as well as the courage of communities such as Greymouth and Gisborne which have been devastated twice in recent times by flood.” He also said the $2.5 million would have been “more than sufficient to maintain the services at Reefton and Hokitika hospitals for some years.” Locals

are. protesting at both hospitals about their proposed closing. Mr Bolger attended a public meeting of 150 people in Westport on Friday evening and on Saturday, toured Greymouth, inspecting the flood damaged wharves and the proposed site of the Mawhera Quay flood wall. After leaving Greymouth, Mr Bolger spent about 15 minutes with the six protesters at the Westland Hospital “sit-in.” Hokitika people are opposing, the proposed closing of the Williams Ward at the hospital, and the transfer of its patients to an adjacent villa at the Seaview Hospital. “He talked to us about the sitin and hospital services in general,” said the chairman of the Save our Hospital Committee, Mr Ross Overton, yesterday. “He’s a real politician, however, he never promised us anything.” Mr Overton took Mr Bolger for a drive round the grounds of both the Westland and Seaview hospitals. “He didn’t realise the extent of the area and the buildings of the hospitals., He seemed impressed by that.” ■