Anger and frustration over options

"They talk about the fact we are in a housing crisis, but here are people building their new homes and now they are getting ready to get rid of them." Emma Baillie, Manakau home owner

Manakau residents are angry and upset after an information meeting held to update them on shortlisted road options fell short of their expectations.

The New Zealand Transport Agency recently released its shortlist of nine options for the $100 million-plus O¯ taki to north of Levin roading project, which will connect to the Ka¯ piti expressway.

At an information meeting in Manakau on Saturday, residents voiced frustration that maps more than four years old were being used to show people where the road options would go.

This meant houses built in recent years were not visible on the maps.

The shortlisted options, which all begin at Taylors Rd, north of O¯ taki, and end just north of Levin, have been opened to the public for feedback.

Last month, the transport agency sent letters to landowners whose properties fell within the 300-metre corridor of one or more of the proposed options.

Emma Baillie, 32, is one of those residents.

Baillie and her partner are building a new home behind Manakau village, an area where a lot of young families are trying to establish their homes.

The cladding has just started going up on their house and already Baillie was wondering if their forever home had turned into a temporary one.

‘‘[The agency] said the S6 [option] is their preferred, which is the one that affects the most people, but it’s the cheapest and fastest.’’

S6 would affect Baillie the most, as the road would run directly in front of their house.

This would take out their view of Mt Taranaki and Ka¯ piti Island and would mean other new houses in the area get bowled to make way for the road.

Baillie said she didn’t understand this logic.

‘‘They talk about the fact we are in a housing crisis, but here are people building their new homes and now they are getting ready to get rid of them.’’

Greg Gilpin owns a home on North Manakau Rd, which is right in the middle of the proposed S6 route.

His home was built in 1890s, one of the original ones in the area.

But this road will go right through it.

The homestead is surrounded by old trees and Gilpin said one of them, at the front of the house, is apparently the most notable tree in Horowhenua.

All of this history is threatened if the S6 option is selected.

The transport agency organised for an archeologist to go through the house, which Gilpin hoped would make a difference.

‘‘I will be absolutely devastated if it goes through there. We have to preserve our history.’’

Gilpin was unhappy with the transport agency’s reliance on old maps to show people where the roads would be going, as housing in the areas had increased in recent years.

‘‘People are getting different answers from different people.’’

Agency director of regional relationships Emma Speight said officials were encouraged by the turnout at the Manakau information meeting and they very much appreciated the feedback they received.

Speight said the large map on display was intended as a guide and was the most recent highresolution photo available that would allow the level of detail required to identify land features.

‘‘A more recent aerial image, with less resolution, including property boundaries, will be available to download from Monday on our website.’’

Horowhenua mayor Michael Feyen said recent accidents and road closures demonstrate the need for the project – both from a local and national perspective – as New Zealand needed a resilient and safe State Highway 1.