Hinekura Road reopening highlight of April
By Councillor Aidan Ellims
It has been a busy month so far with the highlight being the re-opening of the Hinekura Road. On Thursday, 18 April, Hinekura residents, Brownell Contractors, council staff and elected members all celebrated this event out at the hall.
Residents acknowledged the work and hours the contractors had put into getting the road reopened which occurred under budget and within the timeframe set in the tender. We also learnt that the NZ Transport Agency funded 71 percent of the rebuild, which is a great result for ratepayers.
Councillors acknowledged the huge impact the closure had had on the residents of Hinekura which resulted in families renting houses in Martinborough for 3 months so that children could continue attending school, alongside the impact and extra costs on businesses; ie farming, fishing and tourism, as well as the welfare/wellbeing issues bought on by the extended isolation from their Martinborough community. We are all hoping that this solution and the work that has been completed lasts for a long time now.
Over the last month, council has been consulting on the Enhanced Annual Plan and I hope as many folks as possible have provided a submission on the three questions we have asked in the consultation document. If this copy of The Martinborough Star is published before 5 May and you haven’t submitted, please do so. This is your opportunity to have an imput into council decisions for the coming year.
You will notice in the EAP consultation document, we are asking questions about the levels of funding for water services, what the water allocation should be and how we should fund renewals/depreciation, while there is no discussion around the roading budget and what council is proposing to do in this space.
Within the roading area there are some significant issues, specifically that the three- yearly District Roading Plan/Budget was submitted to NZTA in September last year and with the change in government and their changing priorities, we will find out around September this year as to whether the Plan and Budget is accepted or not.
Over the last few years, council staff have heard the feedback from residents/ratepayers and elected members about the level of investment in our roading network and that it needed to be increased.
In the 2024-2027 Roading Plan, there are significant increases proposed in investment to improve service delivery. In the 2023/2024 year, council budgeted $4.8m in the roading space, while for the 2024/2025 year, they are budgeting a $9.7m spend, with an increasing spend in the following two years.
With these increases, whether we receive them or not, council receives a 51 percent subsidy from
NZTA and when we hear what has been approved, councillor’s will work with staff to prioritise what projects will occur over the 3 year period.
Also in the roading space, council has renegotiated the Ruamahunga Roading contract with Fulton Hogan for its final three year term. Again staff have heard feedback from residents and councillors and there is a desire to provide increased levels of service.
Fulton Hogan staff will have a new operating model of “Find and Fix” which means they have the ability to find and fix faults in the area they are working in, rather than fixing one fault only while driving past a number of other faults to get there. Default notices can be issued by council to Fulton Hogan if the quality of work is not up to standard, while annual reviews and increased communications about what work is to commence, ahead of when it will be starting will occur.
As I said earlier, this has all come about due to the feedback that council has previously received.
Other projects commencing shortly are the internal lighting in The Square which involves repairing the damaged underground cabling, some of which has been damaged by tent pegs during events in the past, while the separate project addressing the pedestrian lighting around The Square and then all other pedestrian crossings across the District is starting with tenders being called for. This project will begin in the new financial year.
There have also been discussions with council staff about improving the safety of the SH53/Kitchener Street – Princess Street intersection for residents and visitors alike. Hopefully with council talking with NZTA, we can find some low-cost measures that can be implemented.
We are well and truly into autumn now with rain finally arriving, followed by some warmish days, and hopefully providing some grass growth for farmers. Vineyards have harvested their grapes ahead of the change in weather and I have heard that the Martinborough harvest was better than that in both Hawkes Bay and Gisborne.
All the best for May, now that the days are getting shorter and the temperatures dropping.
If you wish to contact me to discuss any issues, please email me:
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