Media Release

Sept 25th 2016

No Council Vote to Be Held on Southern Link Study

Nelson City Council candidate Stephen Alder is warning people not to base their election choices on the Southern Link after receiving confirmation that NZTA will not be asking the council to vote on the controversial proposal.

Alder wrote to NZTA asking whether, at any point during the remaining steps in its ongoing Southern Link study, Nelson City Councillors will be asked to vote on any matters concerning the Southern Link.

In his reply, acting regional director Neil Walker writes: “the overall transport strategic planning and investment process does not contain voting mechanisms for stakeholders.”

Alder says it is important that people understand how the NZTA process works and the limits that councillors have when it comes to influencing the outcome of the investigation. Walker advised that “stakeholder input is one of a number of criteria used to assist our technical specialists.”

“Many people I have been meeting on the street in the past weeks seem to think that at some stage over the next term a vote will be held by Council to decide once and for all if the Link is a goer. This is clearly not the case,” he said.

Alder said he hoped the letter would clear up confusion on the issue and prompt voters to give greater thought to other matters facing the city.

“I know many people have strong feelings about the Link from both sides of the argument but I’d encourage people to think more about the issues that their votes can really affect; things like access to affordable housing, a city that meets the needs of its growing older population and having a good team of Councillors represent them for the next three years.”

Set out below is a copy of the email I sent to the NZTA

On the 6th August I sent the following two questions to the NZTA. See my previous “To Link or not to Link” statement on my website www.stephenalder.com

1. At any point during the different steps that still remain in the Southern Link Arterial Study will Nelson City Councillors be asked to vote on any matters concerning the Southern Link by the NZTA?
2. If yes, what influence if any, would a majority Councillors view have on future decisions that the NZTA makes concerning the Southern Link.

On the 23 September I received the following reply. I have attached a copy of the email that this statement came from.

Thank you for your email of 6 August 2016. Apologies for the delay in responding to you.

In answer to your query about the Nelson Southern Link, the New Zealand Transport Agency is currently completing the Programme Business Case. When this phase is complete, which is anticipated to be by the end of this year, we will outline the next steps, along with indicative timeframes.

Stakeholder input informs every stage of the business case process and is one of a number of criteria used to assist our technical specialists. Accordingly, we will engage with Nelson City Councillors again at the next stage in the process – that is, once the programme business case is complete.
The overall transport strategic planning and investment process does not contain voting mechanisms for stakeholders. Rather, our work is continually informed by stakeholder contributions.
Regards
Neil Walker
Acting Regional Director

© Scoop Media