Prime Minister Christopher Luxon put the brakes on Napier-Wairoa rail during a visit to Hawke’s Bay, saying he believed work shouldn’t be progressed on it.
He opened his tour of the region on Friday with a visit to Wairoa, seeing for himself the damaged roads that have effectively kept the district isolated during recent weather.
Heavy rain hit the Wairoa and Tairāwhiti area late last month, with some parts recording more than 300mm over two days.
Extensive rainfall led to homes being evacuated, schools closing and roads being blocked in November.
The PM was joined by Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, along with local MPs Katie Nimon (Napier) and Catherine Wedd (Tukituki).
The group travelled along State Highway 2, which was devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle and plagued by issues due to ongoing severe weather, and saw the Waikare Gorge and Bailey bridge before meeting with Wairoa Mayor Craig Little and briefly visiting cyclone-hit Takitimu Marae in Wairoa.
Luxon said every closure of State Highway 2 was a loss of $3 million worth of productivity in the local economy, but he ruled out rail as part of plans for the connection between the two cities after questioning from media at a stand-up at Napier War Memorial Centre.
“My personal view is that railway is a low priority and it is something that we shouldn’t be progressing,” Luxon said.
“I’d sooner take the money from that and go and invest it in upgrading the roads and, and making investments in flood protection and other things.”
He said the Napier to Wairoa rail link had been “poorly utilised” and would be “good money going after bad”.
His comments come after Nimon last month suggested the rail corridor could be used for a new road to replace State Highway 2.
Luxon said State Highway 2 was ”probably the worst” road he had travelled.
He said a big focus of his discussion with Little in Wairoa was on getting money for flood protection, while his conversation with the other Hawke’s Bay mayors touched on similar topics as well as water security, roading and infrastructure.
Luxon said Brown will return to the region next week to speak with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and go through all the details of the roading projects in the region.
Cyclone Recovery Minister Mitchell said in a statement his focus was to get on the ground to talk to people and find out what their needs are.
“These visits are an important part of this Government’s 100-day plan. It is critical this recovery is locally led, with support from Government. Today marks what will be the first of many ongoing meetings,” Mitchell said.
“These conversations will better inform and shape our understanding of what additional Orders in Council are needed to speed up recovery efforts. We hope to also identify further areas today where we can unlock or remove barriers to get things moving more efficiently.”
James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz