Former All Black Andy Jefferd is leading a campaign to save the historic but dilapidated Tokomaru Bay Wharf before it is too late - a project which backers say would help lead a multi-million tourist push for the East Coast.

But officials at the local council – which owns the wharf - say they’re “constrained” in what they can financially provide, with road repair projects a higher priority.

As Kiwis head away for summer holidays, the local rugby hero says if he’s successful, the East Coast would become a road trip must-do for both local and foreign tourists.

Built in the 19th century, the 365m wharf is a reminder of a time when the East Coast settlement was the site of one of New Zealand’s big freezing works.

It was enlarged in 1911 to accommodate big ships from overseas and at its peak during World War I, up to 400 vessels a year docked at the wharf to either pick up or drop off goods.

More than a century on, the wharf is closed to the public and in dire need of repair.

Former All Black Andy Jefferd - in front of a statue featuring wood from the piles of the Tokomaru Bay Wharf - is leading a campaign to save the East Coast treasure. Photo / Neil Reid

The bill to fix it could top $8 million, but the cost is something that Jefferd - the first and only player to debut for the All Blacks while playing for East Coast – says would be an investment that would be repaid many times over via tourism spend.

“A lot of people agree; people are sick of Queenstown, Wānaka, Taupō and Rotorua ... places like that,” Jefferd told the Herald.

“The East Coast is authentic New Zealand up there. You can see the horse wandering down the main street with a couple of kids.”

Jefferd was born and raised in Tokomaru Bay and broke into the All Blacks in 1980 while playing for Second Division East Coast, after an earlier stint in the Canterbury rep team.

He has been battling for funds for the wharf renovations for the past six years and said the project was something he was passionate about.

“The wharf is a real taonga, a treasure, of the East Coast,” he said.

“At the moment the powers that be in Gisborne don’t really seem to have an appetite to want to do up the wharf. They have other ‘priorities’ which is extremely disappointing because I, like a lot of others, think there is huge potential for tourism up the East Coast.

“I am absolutely certain - unfortunately when I am dead and gone - that in 2050 one of the iconic road journeys in New Zealand will be from Gisborne around the East Cape to Ōpōtiki.”

The Tokomaru Bay Wharf is a reminder of the once-thriving shipping industry in the area. Photo / Neil Reid

In a blurb to would-be travellers, the Tairāwhiti Gisborne tourism website describes the wharf as having “historical and social significance as a recognisable remnant of a once thriving industry” in the area.

“The wharf is part of an interwoven group of structures that stand testament to the freezing works and shipping industries. These large-scale industries once provided jobs for hundreds of people in the Tokomaru Bay area.”

It is listed by Heritage New Zealand as a Place Category 2 landmark, meaning it has “historical or cultural value”.

Jefferd is the chairman of the Tokomaru Bay Heritage Trust, which was set up to raise the money needed to renovate the wharf, making it publicly accessible again.

But since the group’s creation almost a decade ago, progress had been “slow”.

Stage one repairs will cost around $4m, with further repairs understood to be around $3m-$4m.

The historic wharf is fenced off and closed to the public due to its state of disrepair. Photo / Neil Reid

“If we could get the money to do the wharf up, it would be a catalyst for other projects to get going on the coast. They need jobs up there ... jobs and people ... that is what it needs,” Jefferd said.

“And if we can get the wharf done up it will do a lot for the physical wellbeing and mental wellbeing of the people of Tairāwhiti. It would give the Gisborne people another reason to go up there and call in. And then there is the fishing and kayaking that would go around it.”

The Tokomaru Bay Heritage Trust has secured $1 million towards the remedial work via the Lottery Grants Board and two Tairāwhiti-based local charitable trusts.

But it can only access that money once it has secured the remaining funds needed.

And an application to the Provincial Growth Fund for funding four years ago was unsuccessful.

Jefferd has called on the Gisborne District Council (GDC) to step up financially to help ensure the wharf is saved.

“The Christchurch City Council have just made a decision to do up the wharf at Akaroa,” he said.

That council is providing $19.1m towards the rebuild of the Akaroa Wharf.

“They have the vision to do that. Why don’t the Gisborne District Council, Trust Tairāwhiti and the Government have the vision to do the Tokomaru Bay Wharf up?

“A lot of these heritage places are important ... they are important to the people, they are important to the nation.”

Former All Black Andy Jefferd won in just one of the 34 matches he played for his beloved East Coast province, but he still went on to wear the black jersey in 1980 and 1981. Photo / Neil Reid

Gisborne District Council chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann confirmed that in 2015, the council provided $50,000 towards a feasibility study on the wharf project.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also developed between the council and the heritage trust, with GDC providing a further $100,000 towards “professional engineering services”.

Thatcher Swann said council, which has owned the wharf since 1937, appreciated the historical significance of the site.

But she said council’s ability to fund the restoration was constrained given the priority of maintaining the region’s roads – which have been increasingly battered by wild weather over the past six years – to maintain access for communities.

“What council can commit to is providing staff support for this project by helping with project management of the restoration, grant proposal development, funding applications and ongoing maintenance for the surrounding amenity, and wharf, as budget allows,” Thatcher Swann said.

“The purpose of the MoU was so the parties can come together to collaborate on fundraising and project management for the restoration of the Tokomaru Bay Heritage Wharf and surrounding amenity area as part of the wider Tairāwhiti Heritage Wharves upgrade project.”

The MoU was renewed last year, with Thatcher Swann saying the document meant the trust could forge ahead with external fundraising with council’s support.