The devastation that was visible on the Napier-Taupō Rd in the week following Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Warren Buckland
The devastation that was visible on the Napier-Taupō Rd in the week following Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Warren Buckland
OPINION
Hawke’s Bay has taken a hammering, not only from a natural disaster named Gabrielle, but the myriad connected domino effects that will be felt for years to come.
I’m loath to prioritise commuter woes, but it has become hard to plan my life with the state of theroads as they are.
State Highway 5 from Napier to Te Hāroto, a trip that took me 45 minutes in pre-speed-reduced 2021, is in post-cyclone 2023 taking an hour and 10 minutes on a good day, an hour and 50 minutes in traffic on a normal day, and two hours 50 minutes after a Rocking Rod concert or on a public holiday.
These time differences make for hard choices for my small family. It’s no longer economic to pursue my preferred contract for my work in project management, forcing me to close my Napier office.
In a bizarre way, Gabrielle has assisted with this rationalising — the reduced speeds are necessary due to catastrophic damage.
As the road repairs slowly grind on, losing the impetuous gathered under a state of emergency, I think it’s time to lobby to eventually return to 100km/h.
A Facebook memory came up this week reminding me that two years ago Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency started advertising their local community consultation on speed reduction on SH5.
This was back in the days when the relationship with our community was constructive — later lack of engagement was explained away as prioritising Waka Kotahi staff’s health and safety due to threats made in Nelson during their speed reduction consultation there.
In 2021, 85 per cent of responses from Hawke’s Bay to Waka Kotahi were against a blanket speed reduction on SH5, but this was ignored.
Kiri Goodspeed, of Te Hāroto. Photo / Paul Taylor
Last year, a petition of 8000-plus signatures and plenty of my blood, sweat and tears were poured into a submission that was rejected by the Parliamentary Select Committee with a placating response that amounted to: “So sorry for your well-articulated social and economic burdens, but someone has to bear them for the greater good.”
Waka Kotahi then promised it would produce an impact analysis report in March 2023 on how the community was coping with those social and economic burdens, and promised the community would be consulted on future investments in the road.
Three weeks ago I fired off an email to HBRC chairwpman Hinewai Ormsby about Waka Kotahi holding SH5 forum talks with HBRC, HDC, AA, NZ Transport Association and the Port of Napier.
From what I could see, there was no community representation to these talks, no mana whenua represented, and no report on social and economic impact.
Last week, after uncomfortable shuffling in the background, Waka Kotahi invited me to attend a meeting in May.
Still not happy Kiri? What do you actually want then? The short answer is accountability.
Throughout this two-year process the commute, and the lack of transparency from this government agency, has been frustrating.
We live in a democracy, so the voice of the people should mean something right?
Despite Chris Hipkins’ March policy “turnaround” announcement about speed limits, until a reviewed government policy statement is released, there will be no change in budgeted spend, no reversal of the speed reduction and Road to Zero plans will continue despite public statements or outcry.
It’s an election year. We need politicians who don’t sit back and placate their voting public — ones who will demand accountability for taxpayers, for road users, for our community, for you and me.
– Kiri Goodspeed is a Te Hāroto resident who organised a petition against a reduction of the speed limit on the Napier-Taupō Rd. She ran for the Takitimu Māori ward of Hastings council in 2022.
