The Post

Te Uruhi vote after report from officials

- Justin Wong

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.

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