1st March 2019

CEAC press release “Communities are deeply hurt and offended’ NZTA use bullying offending terms such as “to enforce.”

Our residential communities are now deeply hurt and offended that NZTA would use such offending objective bullying words such as “to enforce” in their plans found in a report NZTA produced in 2015 called Napier Port access- a business case” when they have never even consulted with communities living alongside their roads who are now adversely affected by their future planning, & not offered any mitigation for those adverse effects.

Page 76 of Napier Port access. December 2015.
“The State Highway rationalisation programme provides improved connectivity to the Expressway to enforce the Expressway as the key freight route through the Hawkes Bay region.”

This road HB Expressway was gazetted The “Hastings Motorway” in the NZ Gazette in 1962 as a ‘commuter route to Napier Airport’ for Hastings residents.’

The road is close less than a few meters from Napier residents to the port and north of Napier and was never intended nor designed as a ‘truck route’ as NZTA wishes falsely to make it.

This report clearly shows that NZTA believes it has absolutely no regulatory environmental obligations under the RMA to provide health and environmental protection for the residents who live alongside an NZTA road network.

https://nzta1.cwp.govt.nz/assets/resources/planning-policy-manual/docs/planning-policy-manual-chapter-3.pdf

This was good Government consideration for residents in 2007 with transit NZ the road agency was called then as they did give consideration & care about residents sharing the residential environment with the road agency.
3.4
“reflects a context sensitive approach, including consideration of the environmental, social and aesthetic values of the local communities involved and the surrounding area.”

In this 2015 NZTA report there is no mention their activities of considering “reflects a context sensitive approach, including consideration of the environmental, social and aesthetic values of the local communities” in our residential zoned locations today, as future truck routes in their plans would invariably now cause much harm to public health and wellbeing which is now totally unacceptable.

Consideration for such care and consideration under the RMA was clearly outlined to NZTA (formerly Transit NZ ) in the Parliamentary Commissioners report named HB Expressway noise and air Quality issues June 2005.
No discussion or consultation was ever sought by NZTA;

https://www.pce.parliament.nz/media/pdfs/Hawkes-Bay-Expressway-Noise-and-air-quality-issues-June-2005.pdf

• NZTA have failed the Government agency ‘environmental responsibility’ under their own regulatory obligations.

• to meet and resolve any issues or offer any mitigation from this 2015 Napier Port access report in a sensitive manner.
• Showing a serious lack of care for ‘community health and wellbeing’.
• This violates ‘our human rights’ and obligations NZTA has under their RMA obligations stated under the Parliamentary Commissioner for the environment report on this (formerly commuter road) now called wrongly as a HB ‘Expressway’.

We call on the Minister of Transport to amend NZTA regulations and ‘require them’ become a good citizen to reflect a “sensitive approach, including consideration of the environmental, social and aesthetic values of the local communities” and not use offensive, bullying terms such as “to enforce”

ends

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