The Waimauku West developer says people should look at their track record and trust them to deliver a great outcome.
We think decisions of this scale should be grounded in independent evidence, not promises, and the community must have a genuine voice in determining its future.
Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara chief executive Ngarimu Blair said: “If this cannot demonstrate that it won’t flood the area or destroy ecological values, we will not support it.”
As our Co-Chair Tatjana Ratsdorf says, if the proposed works genuinely improve flooding outcomes, that would be a positive thing. The question is whether that has been independently proven, particularly during extreme weather events rather than more routine storms. During discussions with the planner, the messaging shifted from “zero impact” to “no unacceptable impact”. That’s a significant difference. Those kinds of contradictions do not build confidence or trust and make it harder for us to have faith that the full risks and impacts are being thoroughly planned.
What level of flooding is considered acceptable, and who gets to decide?
And what about the traffic issues? What will the developer do to resolve those issues?
Chris Bishop has confirmed that the much needed North-West Alternative State Highway has no construction start date for the project and suggested it is anticipated to be delivered within the next 30 years.
WCA supports well-planned growth. Our concern remains simple: is development happening in the right place, at the right time, with infrastructure in place before people move in?
But while the developer says their track record should give the community confidence, many important questions about flooding, traffic and infrastructure remain unanswered.
Read the article and decide for yourself (it’s behind a paywall)