Māori leaders claim lack of consultation over bus service
Palmerston North’s new all-electric bus service being launched on March 4 is facing fresh criticism that it will leave Māori behind.
Tanenuiarangi Manawatū chief executive Danielle Harris said Horizons Regional Council did not sufficiently engage with Rangitāne o Manawatū in planning the new service.
“We are very disappointed about the impact it is going to have on our lower-income whānau, many of whom do not have vehicles, so rely heavily on the bus routes.”
She said there should not have been any changes to the routes in the Awapuni area.
The new routes will remove services from Park Rd, Long Melford Rd, the lower section of College St, and Rugby St, but will run most of the length of Maxwells Line.
Kaihanga kaha for Kaumatua Services Melissa Hemi said the people she worked with had not been aware that the bus services were changing.
None of them had been alerted to Horizons’ call for submissions in 2021, and several were worried about how they or people they knew were going to manage when bus routes in Awapuni and Highbury were removed.
Horizons did reinstate a partial service through Rugby St in response to public opposition to the changes in Roslyn and Awapuni.
The trial route from Clyde Cres would bypass Broadway and the Terrace End shops, travel through the central city and down Ferguson St and Rugby St four times each way only on weekdays and only at off-peak times between 9am and 3pm.
Hemi said that would not help one of her colleagues who relied on a bus to get to and from Roslyn to work in Awapuni.
It would be more difficult for many people to get to the Maxwells Line marae, which was home to a range of health and social services – including the primary health centre Whakapai Hauora, Hemi added.
Horizons transport services manager Mark Read said Rangitāne o Manawatū and Ngāti Raukawa representatives had been contacted about the 2021 consultation.
They had not been involved in the early planning led by an advisory group and later a governance group made up of councillors from Horizons and the city council.
“We let them know why the network was being reviewed, the design options – the ‘closer to home’, or ‘better peak frequency’ options – and the thinking behind them.”
The “closer to home” option included a Rugby St route, but neither had a Park Rd service.
Read said they were also provided with background about the existing network and the issues people had highlighted with it.
Harris said while Horizons might have sent the consultation material, Rangitāne o Manawatū was not adequately resourced to respond.
“We are just expected to participate.” Read said Horizons had signed a Memorandum of Partnership with Rangitāne o Manawatū in 2007, and regularly involved iwi and hapū in discussions about managing natural resources.
It had not been common to involve them in the early stages of transport planning, but that was changing, Read said.
“We are committed to upholding the Treaty’s principles and working with iwi and hapū throughout the Horizons region on matters they wish to be involved with.”
Harris said Horizons was guilty of picking and choosing what they would engage about.
Read said Horizons still believed the new Palmerston North and Ashhurst network would provide real benefits for everyone.
“The improved frequency, longer running hours, faster and easier-to-understand routes, and improved infrastructure – including Aotearoa New Zealand’s first full electric fleet – will make public transport more attractive to anyone looking to travel across the city.”