This was regarded by the League as a significant gesture of official backing. The resulting "Direct Access to the Sea Commission" concluded in July 1930 that they could not recommend the adoption of the proposals for either a road tunnel or a port at Christchurch as this would cause "serious hardship to traders and the farming community".
The League viewed this action as an important sign of official support. The "Direct Access to the Sea Commission," which met in July 1930, found that neither building a road tunnel nor establishing a port at Christchurch was feasible due to it causing "considerable distress to merchants and farmers."