Waka Kotahi to survey Horowhenua businesses on its capacity for work on Ō2NL

Time to don jackets and hard hats and get ready to work on the Horowhenua Expressway. Photo / Janine Baalbergen

With the Ōtaki to north of Levin expressway (Ō2NL) a certainty with cross-party support and the consenting process well advanced, the project team for the road is looking to make contact with as many local businesspeople as possible to see how anyone local can help them realise the Horowhenua Expressway.

They would like to spend as much as possible of the $1 billion available locally, providing jobs and work. They have set up a procurement process and would like to start with a survey of local capabilities.

They are looking for locals to be involved in preliminary and general work, such as office cleaning, catering, waste, safety gear, venue hire, videography, counselling and wellbeing services, training and education for new workers, as well as design, construction work and subcontractors, such as earthworks, trucking, tree removal, graffiti removal, landscaping, environmental compliance, drainage, bridges, relocation services, and much, much more.

Build Our Road logo in support of the campaign for O2NL

Once that capacity is known and with whom, the team will put together packages of work suitable to everyone interested in being involved.

“For now, we want to understand what locals can provide and what help they may need. There will be a few contractors coming in from outside the region given the size of the project but where we can, we would like to employ locals,” the project team said in a statement.

The Horowhenua Company has offered to help local individuals and companies team up and file tenders, even joint tenders, when that time comes.

“We can help form partnerships between small and medium businesses. If you need help with accounting or administration, let us know.”

Mark Wooten of the central skills hub said there already is a tender-ready portal for those tenders. “Form alliances. For example, if there is $2 million of agricultural fencing to be done, and you can only do $500,000 team up with others.”

He said work on the Manawatū Gorge highway required 1.3 billion plants. “We used local businesses for that as much as possible. What they could not supply will go out to tender.”

For now, the team is doing a survey to identify local capacity through a survey which needs to be completed by the end of November. The Horowhenua Company will be involved in collating that information and help take involvement a step or two further.

You find a link to the survey here:

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/wellington-northern-corridor/otaki-to-north-of-levin/

For information: O2NL.localmarket@nzta.govt.nz.

For more information on Ōtaki to North of Levin, please visit nzta.govt.nz/o2nl.

Contact the Horowhenua Company: Hendrix Warren, 027 308 9297.