24

Dec 2019

Years-End Report

Frank Simon News 0 Comments
It is nearly 12 months since NZTA announced that they would not be providing us with south-facing ramps at Peka Peka as it. We have achieved a lot to date with official support from the Waikanae and  Otaki Community Boards and the setting up of our Finish Our Road – Connect Kapiti (FOR) Website.

With Local Body elections now over and the new Council settled in, it is time to gain total committed pro-active support from KCDC in taking our issue up with NZTA to get this minor project back on the NZTA agenda. We have several new councillors this triennium and many stated that they support this project in their election campaigning.

On Monday evening, the core working group had a final meeting for the year and our plan for the next three months is as follows:

  • By mid-January, the flawed NZTA business case review will be completed by core members of our group and a draft document produced
  • A meeting will be called with James Cootes (Chair of Strategy & Operations Committee) to review the document before it is presented to KCDC and NZTA asking for the business case to be reviewed
  • Late January, there will be a media release in the wider Wellington region stating our findings in the review.
  • Mid-February, the report will go to the Strategy and Operations Committee (13 February @ 9:30 am) and then KCDC full Council meeting (27 February @ 9:30 am) asking for their committed support
  • The petition (online and paper copy) will also be presented to the Council

Other items that may be of interest are:

  • We need to get written confirmation that the land has been secured for these works.
  • We are nearing 2000 signatures in support of this interchange (both on-line support and paper copy)
  • We have total support for this interchange from Tim Costley, the new National candidate for Otaki Electorate in the 2020 General Election.
  • Here’s what $15 million gets you in Southland in 2018/19 for a 2.6km full two-lane highway realignment … we are asking for two 400m slip lanes (one of which is already nearly there) and it’s been costed at $22 to $29 million according to the NZTA business case.
  • Sir Brian Roche was appointed Chair of NZTA, in June 2019, replacing Michael Stiassny and there have been 5 new appointments to the board in September 2019, after many resigned/contracts not renewed.
  • The NZTA has named Nicole Rosie as its new chief executive.  She will start in February 2020.

Please feel free to forward this on to any other people that might be interested in being on the mailing list for future updates. This interchange not only affects locals in Waikanae North, Peka Peka and Te Horo but all their friends, families, and business contacts visiting them. The roads in Waikanae and Peka Peka will be enormously affected by the extra traffic that the lack of access at Peka Peka will create.