7. Hon PHIL HEATLEY (Minister of Fisheries) Link to this
to the Minister of Transport
What progress has been made on advancing roading projects in Whangarei?
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister of Transport) Link to this
I am pleased to report progress on Whangarei’s Kamo bypass, one of six upcoming roading projects designed to enhance safety and support economic growth in and around Whangarei. The New Zealand Transport Agency announced last week that construction on the bypass will begin at the end of this year or early next year. The $23 million bypass will run from Kamo Road roundabout to connect with the existing State Highway 1 at Western Hills Drive. This will come as a huge relief to businesses and those in the residential streets that have been congested until now.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Tēnā koe e Te Kaihautū o te Whare. Ko koe tēnā e whakairi i te tāhuhu kōrero mō Te Reo Māori i te tīmatanga o tō tātau rā. Ko tāku i tēnei wā, koinei te kaikōrero tuatahi me whakatika i te kupu Kamo. Kamo, koinā te whakahua tika, nē?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Greetings to you, Mr Speaker. You demonstrated to us at the beginning of our day how the Māori language is to be used and spoken. My point of order at this point, Mr Speaker, is that this member is the first speaker to mispronounce a Māori word, and I respectfully draw your attention to it. Kamo, not “Ka-moh”, is the correct pronunciation, yes?]
Mr SPEAKERI think all members are aware of the need to try to pronounce each other’s names correctly, and certainly in Māori Language Week to try to get Māori names as correct as we possibly can.
The bypass will ease congestion, decrease transportation times and costs, and support continued growth in Whangarei and Northland. During the 2-year construction period, it is estimated that the project will create up to 80 jobs directly and support even more in the wider community. The majority of suppliers and subcontractors working on the project will be locally based, and their communities will benefit from the increase in work.
I have received many letters of support from locals, including one from the Mayor of Whangarei, Stan Semenoff. He stated: “We write to express the gratitude of Whangarei and Northland for the extremely rapid progress we are now making on the transportation issues, which had vexed us for so long under previous Governments.” And of the New Zealand Transport Agency, he stated: “The cooperation is the best it has ever been in my many years in politics.” The Government is pleased to be able to make a real difference to regional communities and economies like that, and we will continue our infrastructure and transportation development around the country.