New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi faced sharp criticism from a parliamentary select committee, which found that the agency made multiple poor decisions and alienated local residents during contentious road upgrades on State Highway 2. The dispute centers on a wire median barrier south of Katikati that cut off direct access for roughly 780 residents.
Parliamentary Committee Rebukes NZTA Over Community Engagement
Parliament’s transport and infrastructure committee released a final report condemning how NZTA handled SH2 upgrades between Waihī and Tauranga. The inquiry followed a 658-signature petition organized by Wright Road resident Rochelle Zajko, which demanded the reinstatement of a southbound right-turn bay by shifting the barrier back 160 meters. The petition also asked for gaps to accommodate local businesses like Seeka Packhouse and Morton Estate Winery.
Lawmakers stated that the agency’s engagement strategy left residents and business owners feeling ignored and disrespected. According to the committee’s findings reported by Local Democracy Reporting, proactive and in good faith communication was missing from the project.
“Engagement should be proactive and in good faith. Even where negative effects on a community cannot be fully avoided, they should not be dismissed,” the committee stated in its report.
Disputed Data and Questionable Decisions
The select committee highlighted significant disagreements between the community and NZTA regarding the underlying traffic data, methodologies, and the clarity of communications surrounding the median barrier installation. While the committee acknowledged that engagement fatigue and misunderstandings might have impacted public awareness, it emphasized that the statutory obligation for thorough consultation rests entirely with the transport agency.
Lawmakers explicitly pointed to poor decision-making by NZTA officials. Specifically, the agency finished constructing the median barrier on the exact evening of a community meeting that NZTA representatives chose not to attend. The committee also noted that agency officials arrived poorly prepared for the initial parliamentary hearing on the petition.
“Our first hearing with NZTA stands out for the level of frustration and disappointment shared by all members of the committee,” the report noted, strongly encouraging the agency to implement operational lessons from the conflict.
Independent Safety Assessment and Agency Response
Between the first and second parliamentary hearings, NZTA commissioned an independent analysis specific to the Wright Road intersection. That review did not support removing the median barrier. The agency also had independent consultant Beca run a Safe System Assessment, which evaluated the existing setup alongside options to reinstate the right-turn bay at speeds of 80km/h and 100km/h.
According to NZTA, Beca’s assessment concluded that the current median barrier configuration offered the superior safety outcome and found no empirical evidence supporting removal or alteration. The NZTA board held the final decision-making authority and indicated it did not intend to revisit the layout.
Petition organizer Rochelle Zajko maintained that the parliamentary findings exposed serious operational failures. She argued that community anxieties regarding near misses, heavy vehicles negotiating local roundabouts, illegal U-turns, emergency vehicle access, longer travel routes, and commercial impacts were never adequately tested against independent engineering proof.
Responding to the report, NZTA stated that it would carefully analyze the committee’s conclusions. The agency acknowledged that the outcome failed to satisfy all community members and pledged to factor those lessons into forthcoming infrastructure projects. The committee also addressed reports of hostility directed at staff and contractors, urging the agency to maintain open communication channels with community members who engage constructively.
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