Te Uruhi vote after report from officials
A motion to pull the plug on the controversial Te Uruhi/Kāpiti Gateway project at the Kāpiti Coast has been adjourned by the district council by the slimmest of margins.
The notice of motion by district-wide councillor Liz Koh moved to order the chief executive to ‘‘withdraw all resource consent applications relating to the project’’ and instruct staff and contractors to ‘‘cease all work’’ on Te Uruhi/Kāpiti Gateway.
But deputy mayor Lawrence Kirby made a procedural motion at yesterday’s council meeting to leave the motion ‘‘on the table’’ until they received a report from council officials. It was voted 6-5 in favour.
‘‘At this stage we don’t have the most appropriate information we need and have not had the conversations needed to make an informed decision on this motion,’’ he said. ‘‘This council is a new council and we want to start off following good process around our decision-making.’’
The proposed visitor centre at Paraparaumu Beach had been long criticised for overblown costs, blowing out from the original $4.46 million to $7.75m because of construction sector price increases and supply chain issues.
tiawa ki Whakarongotai Charitable Trust chairperson Andre Baker said those behind the motion to scrap Te Uruhi did not discuss their concerns with the district’s mana whanua – Ngāti Toa, Ngā Hapū o
taki and the Charitable Trust.