MPs catch the bus to review road upgrade
$20m transformation goes to heart of CHB
AIt was a great day when the Government backed the region by funding the upgrade. It’s an even
better day now the upgrades are completed.
roading network that could be relied upon to flood during a Central Hawke’s Bay downpour has been transformed, opening economic opportunities and providing a model for future repairs and improvements across Central Hawke’s Bay’s badly raindamaged network.
The Pōrangahau and Wimbledon Roads can now be relied upon as a freight route to the Port of Napier, a pathway for a growing tourism trade and a key to rural economic development, including for more than 13,000 hectares of Māori land.
Major upgrades on the route are close to completion, marking the Central Hawke’s Bay District Council’s delivery of 20 roading projects on time and on budget.
In 2018, the route was closed by flooding for nearly a month, causing huge challenges for locals, commuters, and freight operators alike. This wasn’t a new event — the road had flooded at least eight times over the previous two years, and many more times before that.
The council continued to urgently advocate on behalf of the community, applying to the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) not just to upgrade the road, but for the social and economic benefits a resilient and safe roading network would bring.
Kieran McAnulty
Now, thanks to a $20.1m investment by Kānoa, the Government’s Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit, the Central Hawke’s Bay District Council has been able to deliver long-needed improvements to the Pōrangahau and Wimbledon Roads, unlocking potential for local businesses, addressing access inequality, and anticipating growth in the forestry sector.
The investment by Kānoa represents three times the Central Hawke’s Bay District Council’s annual ratefunded roading budget, a figure that gives insight into the scale of the works.
Last Friday, Associate Minister for Transport and Local Government Kieran McAnulty, MP for IkaroaRāwhiti Meka Whaitiri, Central Hawke’s Bay Mayor Alex Walker,
councillors, and Kānoa representatives took a bus trip along the route to see the new upgrades.
“I’m really pleased to see the work that has been done to upgrade Pō rangahau and Wimbledon Roads,” says Minister McAnulty. “These upgrades will make sure the region stays connected, and will have a massive impact on the regional economy and community.
“As the local MP, I know how important this route is for Central Hawke’s Bay. It was a great day when the Government backed the region by funding the upgrade. It’s an even
better day now the upgrades are completed. A huge congratulations to the local crews — from the council to contractors — for completing this job.”
The upgrades include road elevation, bridge strengthening, waterway and safety improvements, and a slow vehicle bay on Pō rangahau Rd.
“The economic heart of Central Hawke’s Bay is the land and the people that work on it,” says Central Hawke’s Bay Mayor Alex Walker.
“But Pōrangahau Rd, as a vital infrastructure link to a huge farming area including our largest concentration of Māori land, could not cope
with the big trucks and weather impacts. This Kānoa partnership investment is an elegant solution to this constraint on our economy and community. This work was not just about roads and our economy, but also people. These projects have boosted local employment and have had a positive impact in people’s lives. The upgraded Pōrangahau and Wimbledon Roads will make a difference in lives for generations to come.”
The upgrade projects provided employment for 344 people, 95 per cent of them Hawke’s Bay locals . . . 241 of these positions were full time.