While Mana Whenua along the Ōhau-Manakau corridor are pleased to see the reduction in speed outside their marae to 80km/h, they are aware the change was not implemented to save lives but to progress a major roading project.
The speed limit on State Highway 1 was controversially increased to 100km/h last July, which hapū members at Tukorehe Marae opposed, warning it would be unsafe. According to Catherine Manning of Tukorehe Marae, the change resulted in a tragic rise in accidents.
“Since they put the speed-limit up we had 10 in the first few weeks, accidents happened on this highway, people were dying,” says Catherine Manning of Tukorehe Marae.
“Initially we were celebrating because any reduction means there’s a saving in life, any reduction means our community stays a little safer each day but then we realised they’re not doing this for us,” said Manning. “This reduction in the speed limit is not to save lives, it’s to progress their project.”
The sentiment is that Waka Kotahi is prioritizing construction over community. “They’ve sent us a clear message that we will protect our workers and our workforce and the mahi that we are doing but we have no intention of protecting you,” Manning added.
Waka Kotahi’s Project Director for the Te Pae o Tararua: Ōtaki to North of Levin (Ō2NL) project, Glen Price, confirmed the reduction is explicitly tied to the construction work.
“We’ve done this to reduce the safety risks associated with project works being undertaken on SH1 and the increased volume of heavy traffic accessing the Te Pae o Tararua: Ōtaki to North of Levin (Ō2NL) construction site directly off SH1,” he said. “With high volumes of construction vehicles entering and exiting the highway, a lower speed limit gives all road users more time to see, react and stay safe.”
For residents like Manning, who lives across the road from the marae, the road is more than just a thoroughfare for the project. “It’s a road to them, not a place we whakapapa to, it’s not a place that provides safety to a community that needs it at times where it’s been unsafe,” she said.
She describes the daily risks faced by the community, with traffic flow having increased tenfold in recent years. “We watch everyday as people take risks, they try and pass each other on a single lane highway they get patch protected and annoyed really at us trying to get into our own whare. I live on the main highway and there are days where I hold my breath and try to get in my whare.”
The 80km/h speed limit will remain in place for the remainder of the year, with Waka Kotahi assessing the situation at the end of the year.