20 NOV 2009 - Mayor Michael Laws today said the Wanganui District Council has asked the Department of Labour for an urgent inspection of the Wanganui port for public safety reasons.

This follows the receipt of an engineering report on the condition of the port and structures.

"We have been concerned for some time that the port and its structures are deteriorating so rapidly that they are a public health hazard and someone will get killed," Mayor Laws said.

"We've drawn these concerns to the attention of the lessee, River City Port, but have been rebutted about their responsibilities.

"Council commissioned a report into the condition of the port and it has found an appalling state of dereliction. It would only be a matter of time before the crumbling wharves crash into the sea with the potential to take human life with it. There have been decades of neglect and we are now looking at $6M to $10M just to restore the structures, let alone making the port commercially viable.

"The Department of Conservation has independently sought an engineering report and we understand that it has similar findings.

"The situation is so bad that today we have provided a copy of our report to OSH and the Department of Labour and asked for an urgent inspection, with a view to closing the port and structures immediately for reasons of public safety. I anticipate the port will be closed within the next 72 to 96 hours."

Mayor Laws said the Wanganui District Council Port and Harbour Bill is due to have its first reading in Parliament on December 9. The Bill would enable the Wanganui District Council to take over day-to-day management of the port and harbour.

"The Bill is critical to the future of Wanganui's port for three reasons. It will allow us to finally address the appalling issue of the loss of this asset, including safety and commercial viability.

"In addition, the current lessee is endangering 140 Wanganui jobs by refusing to allow a Wanganui business to aggregate its operations on Harbour land. If this doesn't happen, the business will leave Wanganui and take with it potentially more than $10M of investment.

"Third, this week I have discovered that one of the principals of River City Port has been drawing a salary of approximately $150,000 a year for the last five years for a part-time job. That money could have been used to pay for repairs."

On Thursday Mayor Laws and port spokesman Cr Rana Waitai met with Associate Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson.

"We had a very good meeting with the Minister at which we talked about the issue of public safety. We've also had good support from our local MP Chester Borrows on the port issue.

"We want to turn our port into a major recreational and light commercial area. It should be a focal point for Wanganui but at the moment it's a scandal, an eyesore and a danger. I urge members of the public to keep away from the port area."