Bypass occupants dig in for the long haul
Protesters at the top of Mt Messenger say they’re in it for the long haul as their numbers grow and trespass notices are traded.
But a Waka Kotahi spokesperson said they do not expect the protest against the Mt Messenger bypass to have an impact of the intended start date for main construction in October.
The $280 million Te Ara o Te Ata bypass of Mt Messenger is Taranaki’s biggest roading project.
The occupation is the latest attempt to change the course of the State Highway 3 project, which was first proposed in 2016 when the Government announced it would invest up to $105m for bypasses at Mt Messenger and the Awakino tunnel.
Contractors and subcontractors whose work had been affected by the protest on Mt Messenger have been able to undertake other work both as part of, and separate from, the project, the spokesperson said.
‘‘When work is able to recommence, those contractors and subcontractors will return to the site to carry out the work.
‘‘Work has continued on other parts of the project during the protest, including the cableway’s southern anchor point and the main project compound, as well as the major environmental and pest management programme,’’ the spokesperson said.
Waka Kotahi representatives met with occupiers at the camp on Tuesday afternoon and issued a trespass notice.
The protest site is where a base is to be built for a cableway to ferry heavy machinery to the construction site deep in the bush.
Robyn Martin-Kemp of Ngati Tama Whenua Warriors said the protesters issued Waka Kotahi with a trespass notice of their own. MartinKemp said despite weeks of rain and cold temperatures the protest had received ‘‘divine intervention’’.
‘‘We’ve got a lot of dwellings and the mauri’s just getting bigger by the day.’’
What started as a camp with a single tent has grown to close to a dozen shelters, including tents and a ‘‘whare kai’’ eating house, complete with a corrugated iron chimney where occupiers take turns keeping the fire going through the night.
Occupiers have different reasons for being there. Some belong to the Poutama group that controversially claims mana whenua over the area, while others say it’s about the environment.
The bases of the cableway tower are being used to store wood for the protestors’ fire, and the security fences that had been erected are used to hold flags, signs and have flax woven through them.
‘‘We’ve had people dropping off food and supplies, and we’ve even had people break down up here and we’ll bring them in and give them food,’’ Martin-Kemp said.
A number of children and dogs were also at the site.
Occupier numbers had been boosted by people and groups ‘‘from all over Aotearoa’’, including the group known as IROAM, who have been attending land-rights protests all around the North Island.
Martin-Kemp said the meeting with Waka Kotahi had gone well and hoped it would be the start of a new relationship. ‘‘We want to find a way forward.’’ She said the protesters were still calling for Waka Kotahi to build the bypass on the ‘‘Option Z’’ route, which largely follows the path of the existing road.