That was the group that marched along State Highway 2, their voices echoing along the streets of Woodville to protest the proposed toll on Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū-Tararua Highway.
The hīkoi, organised by Vicky Tomlinson of local community group Positively Woodville, started at Fountaine Square and ended along what was once State Highway 3, leading into the Manawatū Gorge, where people could see the Woodville end of the construction project which began in January 2021 and is expected to be completed by mid-2025.
They chanted as they walked: “Bowl the toll”, “NZTA we won’t pay”, “What do we want? No toll” and “Toll-Free Tararua”.
Tararua District councillor Scott Gilmore called for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to put a stop to the “dumb idea”.
While submissions do not close until Monday, the uproar in the Tararua District over the proposal to toll what many have said throughout the process is a replacement road, not a new highway, for the now-permanently-closed Manawatū Gorge, has been wide-ranging with many residents angry over what has been called a “slap in the face”.
Many have voiced fears that the toll, if it goes ahead, at a proposed cost of $4.30 for light vehicles and $8.60 for heavy vehicles, will cripple the district and kill any business opportunities in the towns.
Tararua District mayor Tracey Collis spoke at the protest saying other councils in the region, such as Horowhenua, Rangitikei, Manawatū District Council and Palmerston North City Council, had voiced their opposition.
According to NZTA’s toll assessment, there had to be feasible options for alternative roads and those alternatives were the Saddle Road and Pahiatua Track.
Collis said feasible didn’t mean safe.
“It just means you can barely try to drive on. Come on, that is not okay. NZTA, our safety matters.
“We don’t want a road that the rich can take and you leave the others for the poor.”
She said she felt the consultation period was not adequate and under the Land Transport Management Act, there had to be adequate consultation.
The Act also said there had to be community support and regional support for a toll to go ahead.
Collis said the toll would create unacceptable economic and social barriers.
Both the Pahiatua Track and Saddle Road would be returned to the Tararua District once the highway was open, but she said the cost to maintain those roads was unaffordable for the district.