Labour MPs pay tribute to Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp who has died
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Scoop
15 hours ago
- Scoop
Fresh Push For Four-Lane Highway From Rolleston To Ashburton
Article – Jonathan Leask – Local Democracy Reporter A local woman is renewing the campaign for State Highway 1 between Rolleston and Ashburton to be increased to four lanes. A woman fed up with seeing near-misses is campaigning for State Highway 1 between Rolleston and Ashburton to be increased to four lanes. Rachel Gillard-Tew launched a petition this week calling on the government to reconsider four-laning the 63km stretch of road. 'State Highway 1 is the lifeline connecting communities across New Zealand, and the section between Rolleston and Ashburton is crying out for attention. 'Despite its importance, it remains a single-lane hazard.' Her motivation stems from a personal connection to 'a catastrophic accident on SH1' and, as a regular traveller along SH1, witnessing plenty of close calls. With Rolleston and surrounding towns continuing to develop, traffic would only increase, she said. 'The potential for devastating accidents increases by the day. 'It's time SH1 is also prioritised.' With the range of vehicle sizes and speeds, it creates a stressful environment where people lose patience and take risks, she said. 'There is no room for error at all with no protection from oncoming traffic. 'The lack of safe intersections and an adequate median barrier makes this highway section particularly perilous. 'The need for immediate action is clear and compelling.' Creating four lanes between Rolleston and Ashburton would save lives and reduce the unnecessary risks faced by commuters and holiday travellers, she said. The major hurdle is, and has always been, the cost. Adding two lanes from Rolleston to Ashburton will require the extension or construction of new two-lane bridges at the Selwyn and Rakaia rivers. Four-lanes 'unaffordable' Former Selwyn District councillor Mark Alexander said that four-laning between Rolleston and Ashburton is 'unaffordable for our region and country'. He said a second bridge at Rakaia is needed for resilience and 'more maintenance of the existing roadway is needed'. 'We need more schools and better healthcare, more than a motorway between Ashburton and Rolleston.' Alexander sat on the Greater Christchurch Partnership and Regional Transport Committee during his time on the council, between 2010 and 2022, and said the 'cost-benefit ratio was not favourable' for four lanes. He was referencing a business case looking at traffic solutions on SH1 between Christchurch and Dunedin, which was ready for the NZTA Board in 2017. Instead, the National-led government announced its roads of national significance policy that included four lanes from Christchurch to Ashburton. National lost the election later that year, and the roads of national significance were scrapped by the incoming Labour-led coalition Government. The business case, released under the Official Information Act, shows the preferred option was not four lanes. It included a second bridge in Ashburton and a series of '2+1' lanes, essentially alternating passing lanes between Christchurch and Ashburton. What's NZTA planning? NZTA hasn't ruled out four-laning in future, but it is not part of the National Land Transport Plan 2024-27. Regional manager for system design Rich Osborne said NZTA is investing in safety measures on SH1 between Lyttelton and Timaru ports. He said NZTA is aware of safety concerns about the busy State Highway 1 corridor, as raised in the petition. Safety improvement works are being planned and undertaken, he said. 'Providing for wide centrelines has been a recent focus of safety improvements. 'This creates more space between lanes and keeps vehicles further apart, which can reduce serious crashes resulting in death and serious injuries. 'Recent work has included widening of the southbound shoulder of SH1 south of Rolleston, between Dunns Crossing Road and Burnham Road, to install a wide centreline.' Further improvements over the next few years include building a second Ashburton bridge, the Rolleston access improvements project, and a new roundabout at the Burnham Road/Aylesbury Road intersection. A stretch south of Hinds and 2km at Rolleston have had centre line widening and more is being planned, but not until the next three-year land transport plan. 'Pre-implementation work, including detailed design and some property acquisition work, is underway for wide centrelines and some widening works for sections of State Highway 1 from Burnham Road to Selwyn River, south of Selwyn River to north of Rakaia, and south of Rakaia to north of Ashburton. 'As part of its long-term forward planning, NZTA is exploring future options for improving the SH1 corridor between Lyttelton and Timaru ports, and this includes looking at replacement of SH1 bridges, the role of rail and the potential introduction of four-laning.' National's vision on hold National first proposed four-laning the highway ahead of the 2017 election, and the policy was resurrected at the 2020 election. The party had promised to investigate its viability in the lead-up to the 2023 election. When it released its National Land Transport Plan in 2024, National's Roads of National Significance were back, with 15 new four-lane roading projects across the country – including the Woodend Bypass, but not between Ashburton and Rolleston. Rangitata MP, and South Island Minister, James Meager said the idea needed to be reevaluated. 'We need to do the work to see how it stacks up – the last time anyone looked at it seriously was in 2017, before Labour came into government. 'My main focus is getting construction started on the second Ashburton bridge and making progress on our other major South Island roading projects.'
Scoop
16 hours ago
- Scoop
Fresh Push For Four-Lane Highway From Rolleston To Ashburton
A woman fed up with seeing near-misses is campaigning for State Highway 1 between Rolleston and Ashburton to be increased to four lanes. Rachel Gillard-Tew launched a petition this week calling on the government to reconsider four-laning the 63km stretch of road. "State Highway 1 is the lifeline connecting communities across New Zealand, and the section between Rolleston and Ashburton is crying out for attention. "Despite its importance, it remains a single-lane hazard." Her motivation stems from a personal connection to "a catastrophic accident on SH1" and, as a regular traveller along SH1, witnessing plenty of close calls. With Rolleston and surrounding towns continuing to develop, traffic would only increase, she said. "The potential for devastating accidents increases by the day. "It's time SH1 is also prioritised." With the range of vehicle sizes and speeds, it creates a stressful environment where people lose patience and take risks, she said. "There is no room for error at all with no protection from oncoming traffic. "The lack of safe intersections and an adequate median barrier makes this highway section particularly perilous. "The need for immediate action is clear and compelling." Creating four lanes between Rolleston and Ashburton would save lives and reduce the unnecessary risks faced by commuters and holiday travellers, she said. The major hurdle is, and has always been, the cost. Adding two lanes from Rolleston to Ashburton will require the extension or construction of new two-lane bridges at the Selwyn and Rakaia rivers. Four-lanes 'unaffordable' Former Selwyn District councillor Mark Alexander said that four-laning between Rolleston and Ashburton is "unaffordable for our region and country". He said a second bridge at Rakaia is needed for resilience and "more maintenance of the existing roadway is needed". "We need more schools and better healthcare, more than a motorway between Ashburton and Rolleston." Alexander sat on the Greater Christchurch Partnership and Regional Transport Committee during his time on the council, between 2010 and 2022, and said the "cost-benefit ratio was not favourable" for four lanes. He was referencing a business case looking at traffic solutions on SH1 between Christchurch and Dunedin, which was ready for the NZTA Board in 2017. Instead, the National-led government announced its roads of national significance policy that included four lanes from Christchurch to Ashburton. National lost the election later that year, and the roads of national significance were scrapped by the incoming Labour-led coalition Government. The business case, released under the Official Information Act, shows the preferred option was not four lanes. It included a second bridge in Ashburton and a series of "2+1" lanes, essentially alternating passing lanes between Christchurch and Ashburton. What's NZTA planning? NZTA hasn't ruled out four-laning in future, but it is not part of the National Land Transport Plan 2024-27. Regional manager for system design Rich Osborne said NZTA is investing in safety measures on SH1 between Lyttelton and Timaru ports. He said NZTA is aware of safety concerns about the busy State Highway 1 corridor, as raised in the petition. Safety improvement works are being planned and undertaken, he said. "Providing for wide centrelines has been a recent focus of safety improvements. "This creates more space between lanes and keeps vehicles further apart, which can reduce serious crashes resulting in death and serious injuries. "Recent work has included widening of the southbound shoulder of SH1 south of Rolleston, between Dunns Crossing Road and Burnham Road, to install a wide centreline." Further improvements over the next few years include building a second Ashburton bridge, the Rolleston access improvements project, and a new roundabout at the Burnham Road/Aylesbury Road intersection. A stretch south of Hinds and 2km at Rolleston have had centre line widening and more is being planned, but not until the next three-year land transport plan. "Pre-implementation work, including detailed design and some property acquisition work, is underway for wide centrelines and some widening works for sections of State Highway 1 from Burnham Road to Selwyn River, south of Selwyn River to north of Rakaia, and south of Rakaia to north of Ashburton. "As part of its long-term forward planning, NZTA is exploring future options for improving the SH1 corridor between Lyttelton and Timaru ports, and this includes looking at replacement of SH1 bridges, the role of rail and the potential introduction of four-laning." National's vision on hold National first proposed four-laning the highway ahead of the 2017 election, and the policy was resurrected at the 2020 election. The party had promised to investigate its viability in the lead-up to the 2023 election. When it released its National Land Transport Plan in 2024, National's Roads of National Significance were back, with 15 new four-lane roading projects across the country - including the Woodend Bypass, but not between Ashburton and Rolleston. Rangitata MP, and South Island Minister, James Meager said the idea needed to be reevaluated. "We need to do the work to see how it stacks up - the last time anyone looked at it seriously was in 2017, before Labour came into government. "My main focus is getting construction started on the second Ashburton bridge and making progress on our other major South Island roading projects."
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Operation Clementine: More than 200 work visas granted to defunct businesses linked to Vietnamese cannabis ‘grow houses' in Auckland
A joint investigation between the police and Immigration New Zealand uncovered how the organised crime syndicates exploited the visa system to bring in an illegal workforce. Operation Clementine identified 38 different registered companies with connections to the properties where the cannabis 'grow houses' were busted. Those businesses, often in the construction or hospitality industries, were then targeted in raids which uncovered more hidden cannabis crops. 'During the operation, it was discovered that 11 companies were found or believed to be inoperative,' according to an Immigration NZ briefing released under the Official Information Act. 'Despite this, 203 individuals who hold valid work visas are still present in New Zealand linked to these 11 companies.' The briefing said that 14 infringement notices were issued to companies employing staff 'in a manner that is inconsistent' with a work-related condition of that person's visa. Deportation liability notices were issued to 38 people, while two left New Zealand voluntarily. 'Operation Clementine has resulted in a number of interventions which are helping exploited migrants to exit illegal and dangerous situations,' the briefing said. Others who had been granted visas are now unable to enter New Zealand, the briefing said. Immigration New Zealand cancelled 62 visas before they left Vietnam, 14 were turned around at the border, and anyone connected to the network of 'grow house' companies is now on a watch-list. 'Warnings have been placed on Immigration New Zealand systems on all companies selected for Operation Clementine, and on all the directors or 'key persons' linked to these companies, to attempt to mitigate and prevent any future connections with non-compliance and or organised crime,' the briefing said. Police raiding a commercial cannabis operation running out of a residential home in Orakei, Auckland in October 2024. Photo / Dean Purcell. Immigration NZ also sent relevant evidence to Inland Revenue, Oranga Tamariki and the Auckland Council to follow up. Internally, referrals were also made to the Labour Inspectorate, the Companies Office, and the Tenancy Tribunal. Steve Watson, the general manager in charge of investigations and compliance at Immigration NZ, was reluctant to disclose how Operation Clementine started. But he said some patterns had been noticed that 'didn't seem quite right' and his staff worked closely with police to solve the problem together. 'We will use the information we've gained from this, the learnings, to help inform how we manage risk going forward.' Watson said many of the Vietnamese nationals caught up in Operation Clementine came into the country on legitimate grounds. 'Once they've got here, they've been talked into, or moved sideways, into illicit work,' Watson said. 'It's definitely something of concern because from a victim's point of view, we want to protect migrants and not see them exploited or involved in criminality. 'But sometimes they are complicit, or know what they're doing, and that's part of the investigation that does take a lot of time.' The joint investigation was also looking for connections between the directors and shareholders of the 38 different companies linked to the cannabis 'grow houses' that had been discovered. Going forward, Watson said the main focus of Immigration New Zealand was prevention of migrant exploitation before they even applied for a visa to live here. One of the concerns for Watson were stories of migrants paying large sums of money to 'unscrupulous' agents to obtain visas. 'We're talking $10,000 or $20,000. I've heard up to $30,000,' Watson said. 'That's something we want to put a stop to. The correct way to come to New Zealand is to come straight to us [Immigration NZ].' He referred questions about the issue of the cannabis 'grow houses' and Vietnamese organised crime groups to the New Zealand Police. However, a police spokesperson failed to respond to the Herald. Although Operation Clementine is an example of cooperation between two law enforcement agencies, a group of experts advising the Government on organised crime has warned that more needs to be done. 'Information sharing between government agencies is deficient. In some cases, that is because there are specific legislative barriers. In others, the willingness to share information proactively is due to the culture of organisations,' the advisory group wrote in March. 'We need to have a mature conversation about the privacy settings which balances the need to combat organised crime effectively, without compromising individual privacy interests.' Jared Savage covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime. He joined the Herald in 2006 and has won a dozen journalism awards in that time, including twice being named Reporter of the Year. He is also the author of Gangland, Gangster's Paradise and Underworld.
