Trains and water absorb councillor
There is a limit to what one person can achieve, says Upper Hutt’s regional council representative.
Though the council’s scope is wide Paul Swain has chosen to narrow his attention to the three issues of most importance to Upper Hutt: Transport, water and flood protection.
‘‘I’ve been Minister of Transport and it was my most enjoyable portfolio,’’ he said. ‘‘Transport is one of the critical issues for Upper Hutt, given the number of people who travel from out here to Wellington every day.’’
Upper Hutt is also where the region’s water is stored, so Mr Swain put his hand up for the council’s social and cultural committee.
‘‘The third one is flood protection, on the Hutt Valley Flood Management subcommittee,’’ he said.
Mr Swain said in government he had always liked to begin a new ministry with one achievable goal for his term and he brought the same philosophy to the regional council.
‘‘My project is Upper Hutt Railway Station,’’ he said. ‘‘ At the moment it basically an embarrassment . . . a run-down shed.
‘‘What I’d like to see is a gateway to Upper Hutt.’’
The council has a standing budget of $2.5 million a year for station upgrades with Naenae the first priority, ‘‘because it’s falling down’’, and Tawa, because its roof leaks.
If the job of upgrading Upper Hutt is left to council officers the community is likely to get a very functional building, he said.
‘‘I don’t want to see a blank, concrete toilet block. What I would like to see is a bit like Petone.’’
He wants good lighting and security, clean toilets, a comfortable waiting room and security cameras.
To achieve this he is talking to businesses with a view to involving a commercial partner.
‘‘Going to the ratepayer, in my view, should be the last thing we do,’’ he said.
Mr Swain came in for some ribbing at the February meeting of the council when he turned up late, with the excuse of traffic delays. It was an unusual situation because he normally commutes by train.
Though the service had been run down over decades, improvements are beginning to take effect, he said.
‘‘ It’s getting better with the Matangis coming on stream and the power and signal upgrades.’’
Communication is still a continuing frustration.
‘‘I think still a problem is that if you are a student sitting an exam and you have to be there first thing in the morning, do you take a risk [of catching the train]?
‘‘When you are someone coming home on the train with kids to pick up from daycare or from sport, are you nervous you’re not going to be there on time?
‘‘It’s when the train stops and no-one is telling you what’s going on. That’s what makes people’s blood boil and often it’s the guards who get it in the neck.’’
The intercom systems on the new Matangi trains, and eventually real-time travel information should help alleviate that, he said.
The next big project is the refurbishment of the Ganz Mavag units, which will bring muchneeded work to the Gracefield railway workshops.
The council needs to do more flood protection work, Mr Swain said.
Upper Hutt generally has protection against a 1-in-400-year flood but Bridge Rd in Akatarawa and Ebdentown are both still vulnerable, he said.
‘‘Climate change is impacting on us in the region in that potentially we are having those bigweather events. In the dry years we are having to protect the water supply.’’
Some big decisions are needed on water supply, whether another storage lake north is formed north of Upper Hutt, or a new dam built on Whakatikei Stream, or savings are made by domestic rainwater tanks.
The council committee wasn’t particularly satisfied with a staff report that found a new dam was a better option than subsidised tanks, he said.
‘‘ They seemed to be saying ‘water storage is not a good idea’,’’ he said. ‘‘I support the idea of storage tanks.’’ A new dam on Whakatikei Stream would be well away from the Wairarapa fault line, he said.
‘‘I think it does come down to risks. I’ll put it as simply as that, our ability to withstand changing international climate and climate conditions. It means our safety and security in earthquakes. It means our safety and security in flood events. It means safety and security of water supply. It means future-proofing infrastructure in terms of risk.’’