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The Otaki By-Pass

This weekend I looked at the plans for bypassing Otaki. A very flawed concept has resulted in 2 flawed designs which we, the community have to comment on.

Both options close off the main eastern lateral from the rest of the town. Both options isolate the racecourse. Both options use a tiny fragile (to be widened) lane as the main on ramp to the motorway. Both options have a high raised stepped overbridge for pedestrians. Mothers with strollers won't be able to use it. People in wheel chairs wont be able to use it. The elderly wont be able to use it.

KCDC Getting a Lot of Flack

The Kapiti Coast District Council seems to be getting a lot of flack these days over the Joyce motorway.

Let's not forget that they are in a no-win situation.

Lets' not forget that they are in this position because the Minister of Transport - The Hon Min Joyce with the complicity of his associate Minister Nathan Guy instructed the "neutral" and "non political" land Transport New Zealand board to over ride the evidence and build his road through the middle of Kapiti.

Those Honourable Ministers should be the target of your anger.

 

The New Year

It is now the end of January and a wonderful sunny month of slothfulness. Now I need to start moving again so expect a few weekly blogs from now on.

Last Tuesday I chaired a meeting for Otaki Community Board candidate over the disastrous reconfiguration of the only bus run from Otaki south. There is only one a day and it leaves before 9am so that the Gold Card can not be used. It only goes to Waikanae. People then need to catch the train. It leaves Waikanae 3 hours later.

Two New Stories

Posted two new stories this weekend in my 'news and events' section.

Called 'Living with History' it tells the story of Osneloc House where we live and Elizabeth Colenso whose daughter built it.

The second story is 'A Little Book on Classical Roses' and relates to the roses of myths legends and literature along with the story of Arathusa and her rose.

What else does one do on a rainy Sunday before Christmas.

 

LTNZ Comes to Otaki

With all the justifiable angst to the south of Otaki over Minister Joyce autobahn, there has been very little attention paid to the plight of Otaki with its planned by-pass.

 At the last Otaki Community Board meeting for 2010, LTNZ came to town to report back.

LTNZ Set to Divide us Again

I received my glossy brochure from LTNZ yesterday. Not content with dividing us already over the Minister's stupid and non cost effective RONs they now offer us another set of impossible choices!

We have Hobson's Choice : We, the community, are required to choose between destroying peoples' homes or destroying an urupa!

They don't have the balls to decide themselves and can now safely say "well it's what the community chose!"

Mangaone Stream

Great article in November's Otaki Mail (also on line) about the highly polluted Mangaone stream in Te Horo near Otaki. Dirty dairying is the cause and careless guardianship by the Greater Wellington Regional Council has  added to it's woes.

Let's hope that some cleanup will now happen. Join the Mangoane Stream facebook page for updates on its plight.

Bravo Rod Oram

In this morning Sunday Times was a great article by Rod Oram on the stupidity of Steven Joyce's Roads of National Importance.

What Oram showed was that none of them, including Kapiti's propossed autobahn made any sense in terms of cost benefits.

Otaki - the centre of the universe!

Today the Green Technology Centre for the Wellington Region was opened in Otaki, proving yet again we punch above our weight and are the centre of the universe!

The green technology centre is to be a hub for emerging sustainable technologies. Otaki is well situated to be its hub. As part of the Kapiti Coast District with its award winning policies on sustainability, and with its own investigation into food technoligy and vision to be the first 'off grid' town in NZ, the centre is in an ideal place.

Go Otaki!

Tauranga Garden and Art Fest

Have just returned from three days in Tauranga where Lloyd was a speaker at the Garden and Art Fest. Great weekend with friends and saw some wonderful rose gardens. Can't seem to wean myself away from old roses. Saw roses we should have taken with us to the new garden but didn't and wonder why? Will have to find more room.

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