Te Ahu a Turanga toll proposal: Tararua District council’s concerns

Tararua District Mayor Tracey Collis at the Woodville meeting believes the proposed toll will have a big impact on the Tararua District.

Those compiling submissions on the proposed toll for the Manawatū-Tararua highway will have a difficult task summarising them, says Tararua District Mayor Tracey Collis.

The mayor and councillors are still working on the council’s submission, which will reflect on the social and economic impact to the region if the toll goes ahead.

In the September council meeting, the draft submission to New Zealand Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi was discussed at length.

Councillor Scott Gilmore asked for some additions to the submission, noting that consultation was considered “lacking and inadequate”.

“I would also like there to be references to NZTA’s very own tolling policy,” he added, saying there were multiple breaches within that policy.

“When the NZTA board’s looking at that I would like them to reflect on the fact that they are not keeping to their own policy.”

Collis said she had people share with her what it was like to have a health condition and travelling to Palmerston North.

She was adamant the highway, due to be completed in mid-2025, was a replacement road for the Manawatū Gorge road, which was closed permanently by a slip in 2017.

“I know that it’s been referred to as a new road but I just wanted a gentle reminder of the reason it’s a replacement road.”

The Manawatū Gorge before its closure was flat and considered a shorter trip than the highway due to be completed in 2025.

She said while the time estimated to travel that road would be 12 to 14 minutes, which would be an improvement on the current detour routes - via the Saddle Road, or Pahīatua Track - the gorge route was considered less than that and was flat.

The highway would include a gradient of up to 10%.

“I don’t consider it an upgraded road - it is still steep.”

Collis went on to talk about the issues with young people going to Palmerston North to play sports and it was noted from a report by Sport Manawatū to the meeting of the community development and wellbeing committee last month that it was difficult financially for families to be able to travel to that do that sport.

Issues were also around young people learning to drive and the cost to parents, as well as them having to learn how to use traffic lights and roundabouts in Palmerston North.

“There’s a real concern getting over the Saddle and the Pahīatua Track for those young people but actually to go and sit that licence and get the photograph taken and all of that it just continually adds barrier after barrier for our people.”

Councillor Sharon Wards spoke on her own submission, reflecting on her time as chief executive of Tararua Health Group.

Sharon Wards, pictured when she was CE of Tararua Health Group, says it was easier to attract health professionals before the gorge closed.

She said when the gorge was open, the health group was able to attract a lot of rural health professionals to the team and there was a wide range of GPs and nurses who would travel through from the Manawatū.

“We had excellent provision of specialist outpatient clinics because they enjoyed coming through to Dannevirke and Pahīatua for the day and travel wasn’t a problem.

However, once the gorge closed, there was a decline in their ability to retain the health professionals because they couldn’t travel the alternate routes.

Wards said while she had tried to think aspirationally and positively about alternatives, she had reflected anecdotally on the social impact, but exclusively on the impact to equity and access to a huge range of health services.

She said that at the Woodville meeting, there was a profound statement made by a man who said he had to travel the road three days a week to stay alive.

“I know those are gems and we need to build stories and advocate around that ensure that patients that access health services across our district have a right to this road.”

Collis noted that the consultation document by NZTA talked about the submissions being summarised to be given to the minister and then to the chair of NZTA for consideration.

“How do you summarise the impact to the Tararua District, to the people?”

She said there were impacts on the health system, making it challenging to get doctors and staff, not only in health but also in education, with many teachers coming from the Manawatū.

“It impacts every part of our life.”

The district had lost banking services and through budget cuts, some social services.

“But the straw that broke the camel’s back is ... you thought you’d charge for access to those basic services that we deserve and it’s impacted everyone,” Collis said.

“How you summarise that is going to be very difficult.”