Podcasts about waka kotahi

Waka Kotahi's right to kill endangered species while it is building the Mt Messenger bypass in north Taranaki has been ruled unlawful by the High Court. Whanganui-Taranaki reporter Robin Martin spoke to Corin Dann.

From Monday morning, the Desert Road will be closed for approximately two months. The closure is part of Waka Kotahi's Tirau to Waiouru Accelerated Maintenance project. Waka Kotahi regional manager of maintenance and operations Roger Brady spoke to Paddy Gower.

Transport agency Waka Kotahi has released its updated used car safety rating, including a crash avoidance rating to show how well a car can prevent or reduce crashes. Principal Advisor Vehicle Safety Todd Wylie spoke to Corin Dann.

Waka Kotahi plans to re-open State Highway 6 north of Haast from 10 o'clock on Friday morning. Development West Coast chief executive Heath Milne spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Sir Brian Roche has been appointed as the new public service commissioner. Sir Brian has held a number of top roles at the Auckland Regional Transport Authority, Waka Kotahi and NZ Post.

Transport agency Waka Kotahi is urging drivers to plan ahead and check the latest road conditions as waters rise and rain continues to fall across the lower South Island. Waka Kotahi journey manager Tresca Forrester spoke to Corin Dann.

Transport agency Waka Kotahi is warning school holiday travellers to take care as heavy rain and snow settles in from Wednesday. Waka Kotahi journey manager Tresca Forrester spoke to Corin Dann.

Auckland's southern motorway between Bombay and Ramarama re-opened after Waka Kotahi worked through the night to put in place a temporary wire rope barrier. Waka Kotahi's Auckland System's Manager Paul Geck spoke to Corin Dann.

A polar blast has caused major disruptions across the country today, with snow reaping havoc on South Island roads, and torential rain causing homes flood and severe slips in the North Island. All South Island alpine highways have since reopened today but Waka Kotahi has multiple warnings for snow and ice in place for roads in Southland, Otago and Canterbury. MetService has issued a heavy snow watch until early tomorrow morning for much of the lower South Island with some places seeing snow flurries down to sea level.

NZTA says extra measures are being put in place to help keep travellers safe on the icy roads. Waka Kotahi's South Island Manager Mark Pinner spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Here is an insight into why bits of Wellington are not like the rest of the country.  There is pushback from Whaikaha.  Who are Whaikaha? They are the Ministry of Disabled People.    Under the new Government, names were to be restored to English.  Why? Because very few people speak Māori and, as such, most of us had no clue as to what a lot of these renamed groupings did, or who they once were.  Waka Kotahi and Oranga Tamariki over time became possible exceptions because they got used so often, given their status in the news.  He Waka Eke Noa, I bet you still don't have a clue as to what it means, despite the fact it was a very important document dealing with one of the great issues of the age and one of our most important sectors.  Anyway, all of this nonsense was going to stop when the new Government arrived because it was a major part of all their campaigns.  In another sign that despite the initial angst they actually have quite a bit in common, all three parties agreed that this obsession with Māori language needed to end.  Except a couple of things happened.  The main one being that it didn't change. The Government dragged the chain, sort of like the councils who are still insisting on mass lowering of speed limits until the new law is passed.  In that sense, this Government has been taken for a ride, and that is reputational.  Now the Ministry of Disabled People is pushing back on Whaikaha. They claim they have a unique whakapapa.  And that is what is wrong with Wellington.  Given all the ministry is going through of late, is it not astonishing they have time for this sort of debate? It's almost as though they have too many people.  A ministry's job, the public services job, is to work for the Government of the day. The Government of the day are very clear on this particular matter.  What is it about the public service that makes them think they are there to tell us what's right and how we are wrong?  Do you think, given they behave that way, they might just be shooting themselves in the foot a bit when it comes to wider sympathy for their job retention plight? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coastal shipping was seen as a saviour after Cyclone Gabrielle, but Government backing for the sector has cooled.

Auckland Transport is headed into talks about whether it can share Waka Kotahi's highway cameras for the city's congestion charging scheme - to cut costs. Phil Pennington spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Data from Waka Kotahi, the Transport Agency, shows most crashes in the city in the last three years involving pedestrians, cyclists, and people on scooters, have been in the Western suburbs. Reporter Maia Ingoe has more

Grey Power is calling for a change to elderly driver assessments, claiming the process for assessing driver capability is penalising some of the very people who need their licences the most. Grey Power acting vice president David Marshall says a nationwide survey of members has revealed a lack of practical driving assessors in the regions and also widespread use of cognitive tests - SIMARD-MD and Mini-ACE - to assess driver impairment. Canadian driving researcher Dr Alexander Crizzle, says there is no evidence to support the continued use of cognitive dementia tests to assess driver capability. In New Zealand, the driver licence renewal criteria require all licence holders to present a medical certificate confirming fitness to drive at age 75, then 80, and then every two years following. Waka Kotahi NZTA says it does not mandate cognitive tests for elderly drivers and maintains the use of such tools is left to the discretion of health practitioners. Draft guidelines on how to assess medical fitness to drive are currently under review and are expected to be released in June.

It's long been thought that where you choose to sit your driver's licence test impacts how easy or difficult it will be to pass. Now, new data released by Waka Kotahi has given credence to this.

A washout on the route between Franz Josef and Fox Glacier means that section of the road is shut; with the next update expected at midday Monday, Mark Pinner from Waka Kotahi speaks to Lisa Owen.

Climate change is no longer a 'strategic priority' under the government's new draft policy statement on land transport. This means that once in force, Waka Kotahi and other decision-makers would not be required to consider emissions when making transport investment decisions. Morning Report producer Emma Ricketts reports.  

Emails show the chief executive of the Transport Agency ordered the only line about a partnership with Maori removed from a press release about relegating the name 'Waka Kotahi' to second place. This occurred shortly after Nicole Rosie had stressed to staff upset at the name change, and to her board, that partnering with Maori was vital and would "expand". It came days after Transport Minister Simeon Brown told the agency to change its "branding and communication in media" as soon as possible. Phil Pennington has been reading through the 140 pages of emails. Pennington spoke to Corin Dann.

A little over a year after beginning construction, the New Zealand Transport Agency has burnt through more than 60 percent of its budget for the Mt Messenger bypass Te Ara o Te Ata project in Taranaki without completing a single kilometre of road. Waka Kotahi has revealed it has spent $172 million so far on the 6-kilometre route on State Highway 3, which has a price tag of $280 million. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

Waka Kotahi is urging West Coast drivers to take care as heavy downpours are expected to continue. A surface flooding warning is in place on State Highway 6 between Hokitika to Haast. Drivers are urged to stay vigilant as the rain continues today. Moira Whinham, the West Coast maintenance and operations manager for NZTA Waka Kotahi, spoke to Charlotte Cook.

Kapiti Coast residents are outraged by a lengthy road detour which will be in place for months - and they're planning a protest. Waka Kotahi is attaching a clip-on bike path and pedestrian walkway to the Waikanae bridge, closing it to southbound traffic at least until May. Nick James reports.

The government has announced electric vehicle owners will now pay road user charges, costing drivers 76 dollars for every thousand kilometres. The charges will begin from April the first. That is despite Waka Kotahi documents released to RNZ under the Official Information Act last year, forecasting an increase in non-compliance and debt for customers. Transport Minister Simeon Brown spoke to Charlotte Cook.

Several sections of the country's state highways are being described as in shocking condition, with some mayors calling for urgent upgrades as holidaymakers travel through their districts. The AA says State Highway 1 is the poor "shop window" of a network riddled with pot holes and road surface issues. That comes as Waka Kotahi embarks on what it says is its biggest summer road works programme in years - worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Ellen O'Dwyer reports.

Don't be a grinch on the road this summer. That's the word from the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi who are asking holiday travellers to take it easy behind the wheel. With the official holiday road toll set to begin on Friday, NZTA is hoping for peace on our roads as people flock to sunnier parts of the country. NZTA Journey Manager Tresca Forrester spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss. Don't be a grinch on the road this summer. That's the word from the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi who are asking holiday travellers to take it easy behind the wheel. With the official holiday road toll set to begin on Friday, NZTA is hoping for peace on our roads as people flock to sunnier parts of the country. NZTA Journey Manager Tresca Forrester spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

There's a party in Tairua today as the town celebrates the reopening of State Highway 25A - the key road connecting it to the rest of the country. State Highway 25A between Kopu and Hikuai was closed after heavy rain and storms lashed the region in January - causing part of the road to be washed away into a gully. Waka Kotahi has constructed a new 124-metre viaduct bridge which spans the part of the road that was destroyed. It has been a tough year for Tairua residents - with people travelling two hours instead of half an hour to school in some instances - and visitor spending in the wider region has plummeted this year. Peter Hunt is co-chair of the Tairua Business Association and owns a furniture shop in the town.

Farmers in Northern Hawkes Bay and Tairawhiti are concerned that some long awaited, permanent road repairs are failing within weeks of bitumen being applied. Hundreds of roads in the region were damaged in Cyclone Gabrielle and some permanent repairs have now been completed. James Brownlie owns a sheep and beef farm in the Ruakituri Valley inland from Wairoa. He says all the recently applied resealing on his local roads, both new seals and repair seals is failing, while the older seal is sound. Last week he travelled State Highway 2 between Wairoa-Gisborne and says the same is happening on the new seal there, over several kilometres. Mr Brownlie says others in his remote community are also concerned.

Authorities are advising holidaymakers to prepare before hitting the highways this summer. Those in the parts of the North Island still recovering from storm damage are urging visitors to take it easy on the roads. Ahead of the busy holiday season, media were invited to Waka Kotahi's operations centre in Wellington. Nick James went along.

Would-be EV owners are flocking to dealers around the country and rushing to get their applications in for the clean car rebate, ahead of its demise on December 31. Anyone applying for the rebate on the Waka Kotahi website is met with a message that it could take up to 20 working days to process, but the agency says applications file before the 31st will be processed. The end of the Clean Car Discount, although not unexpected, has disappointed advocates - including lobby group Drive Electric - which wrote to new Transport Minister Simeon Brown about the expect effect of ending the policy and urged a staged phase-out. Kathryn speaks to Drive Electric chair Kirsten Corson, director of Auckland City EVs Nick Jackson and Aimee Wiley, CEO of the Motor Industry Association.

Party leaders have traded barbs in the first Parliamentary debate since the election, we have all the highlights; Incoming Police Minister Mark Mitchell says he's confident Police Commissioner Andrew Coster can get the job done; We'll have the latest from Gaza, as fighting intensifies in the south; A wastewater treatment plant is causing a stink in Lower Hutt; Modelling has found a nearly 25 percent chance Wellington may need harsh water restrictions this summer; and Waka Kotahi has been exaggerating claims about how green its road building is.

Is it a case of the green washing of highways, or just bureaucratic slackness? Transport agency Waka Kotahi has been making exaggerated claims about how 'green' its road building is. It has said four highways have independent, international certification for sustainability when they do not. Phil Pennington spoke to Corin Dann.

Part of State Highway 2 between Wairoa and Napier has reopened on Tuesday morning, following a safety inspection A stretch of the road between Kotemaori and Pūtōrino was closed for most of Monday and overnight, following a slip on Sunday. Wairoa mayor Craig Little says the key access road is suffering continuous closures - isolating the town and putting unfair pressure on residents.  He is calling for longer-term solutions to increase resilience and prevent slipping. Waka Kotahi regional manager of maintenance and operations Mark Owen spoke to Corin Dann.

A billion-dollar budget shortfall threatens to significantly disrupt Wellington's train services over the next few years. A report by the Greater Wellington Regional Council identifies insufficient funding for maintaining capital's rail network. It also identifies a large back log of maintenance programmes that KiwiRail has to deliver in the region. Waka Kotahi, KiwiRail and Greater Wellington are jointly required to fund the network with the support of the Ministry of Transport. Greater Wellington Regional Council chair Daran Ponter spoke to Corin Dann.

The Dublin Street Bridge needs replacing and it's going to cost $62.5 million. Mike says Waka Kotahi will come to the party but the council will still need to stump up 40-odd per cent of the cost. 

A decision to close State Highway One through the Brynderwyns for vital repairs has been delayed so Waka Kotahi can consult with the local communities. The main route in and out of Northland needs to be completely closed for a number of months for recovery and rebuild work. The road suffered significant damage in various extreme weather events this year. $62 million is earmarked for the job, but dates are yet to be signed off, with businesses worried the closure will mean a big economic hit. An Independent report put the cost of an earlier closure of the Brynderwyns at almost $2 million a day. Waka Kotahi regional relationships director Steve Mutton speaks to Lisa Owen. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6341878028112

Wairoa's Civil Defence controller says some of the slips caused by the weekend's heavy rain are worse than those after Cyclone Gabrielle.  Communities throughout northern Hawke's Bay and Te Tairāwhiti again had to deal with flooding, closed and damaged roads, power outages, and rivers breaching their banks.  State Highway 2 just south of Wairoa is closed due to a large slip that came down early on Sunday.  One person died and another was seriously injured after hitting the landslide. Waka Kotahi says a geotechnical assessment shows more work is needed before the road can safely reopen.  Wairoa civil defence controller Juanita Savage spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The Far North faces another summer without its vital lifeline, State Highway One through the Mangamuka Gorge to Kaitaia. The gorge has been closed on and off for three years due to extreme weather causing cracks and slips. That means for the past sixteen months visitors and residents have been forced to take the long way around; detouring onto state highway ten via Kerikeri and Kaeo to Awanui and then on to state highway one to Kaitaia. Due to ongoing land movement and yet more slips, Waka Kotahi recently revised the reopening date to late 2024. Andrea Panther from the Kaitaia Business Association speaks to Lisa Owen. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6341583688112

Opponents of the Mt Messenger bypass project in Taranaki have a new beef with Waka Kotahi - the cost of "Pieday Friday". They say the staff event - also known as "Whānau Friday" - could cost up to $500,000 over the life of the project. But Waka Kotahi says it's costing $50,000 and it's good for morale. Our Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin sank his teeth into the story.

State Highway One, the main route in and out of Northland could be completely closed at the Brynderwyns for months for maintenance, starving the region of much needed visitors and income. A group of local businesses has already described the state of the roads in the region as an "economic barricade" to its potential. This will be an actual barricade on State Highway One. Waka Kotahi's board will make a decision on the recommended recovery and rebuild work this month but the agency is already planning detours and says it will work around key dates like Waitangi and Easter. Independent research released last month puts the cost of closures on the Brynderwyns at tens of millions of dollars. North Power chief executive, Andrew McLeod, speaks to Lisa Owen. In a statement Waka Kotahi says confirmed detour routes and closure dates will be advised next month following usual internal processes and approvals. It says it will engage with partners, stakeholders and the community to ensure the work is carefully planned to minimise disruptions as much as possible. A business case for long term resilience options is still being considered, alongside the proposed recovery and rebuild works. As this is unfunded, long term resilience options will follow our standard business case processes. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6341082285112

State Highway One over the Brynderwyn Hills, a vital passage linking Northland to the rest of the country, will fully close while damage done during Cyclone Gabrielle is repaired. Waka Kotahi says official closure dates and detour routes will be confirmed next month, working around key dates such as Waitangi Day and Easter. It's left business groups in the North frustrated at the lack of strong infrastructure, which they say is restricting the region's economic growth. Whangārei mayor Vince Cocurullo spoke to Corin Dann.

It's finished three months early and under budget. A huge sigh of relief for Coromandel residents and businesses with the announcement today that State Highway 25A will be open in time for Christmas. It means the two sides of the Coromandel Peninsula will be reconnected again. The highway has been closed since January after a massive slip, affecting families, businesses, schools and tourism to the region. Jo Wilton from Waka Kotahi speaks to Lisa Owen. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6341025378112

Nearly $200 million has been swallowed by scams in Aotearoa in the last year according to data from eleven banks. While methods range from impersonating transport agency Waka Kotahi to fabricating romance, a trend on the rise is fake investment opportunities. Ministry of Business spokesperson Ian Caplin spoke to Corin Dann.

Auckland ferry operator Fullers360 will still not have its fares regulated on the Waiheke route. Waka Kotahi has been reviewing the exemption granted to Fullers360, which means it operates outside of Auckland Transport control. That means Fullers can set their own fares, which has caused a lot of upset with locals who use it as a public transport service. A report for the transport agency has found the company does not generate super profits, and has a normal commercial approach. Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick blasted what she called the report's "inexcusable, circular, bureaucratic logic" and criticised the "extraordinarily expensive" prices Fullers charges Waiheke commuters. Fullers 360 chief executive Mike Horne speaks to Susana Lei'ataua. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6340844992112

Legal action has been launched over the $1.25 billion Transmission Gully motorway. The builder of the road is taking Waka Kotahi to court in relation to incomplete work. A pool, skatepark upgrades and the Wellington City Council's airport shares are on the chopping block in a proposal to cut costs. And police have now issued an arrest warrant for missing Otaki kayaker, Michaela Leger is facing drug-related charges. Georgina Campbell is NZ Herald's Wellington issues reporter.

Waka Kotahi says it's lowered speed limits to 80 kilometres per hour on about four percent of New Zealand highways as part of the Road to Zero safety campaign. The changes have frustrated many drivers, and the incoming National government has been vocal in their criticism, too. But the lower speed limits don't only make our roads safer - they can have big emissions benefits. Morning Report producer Emma Ricketts has more.

Waka kotahi says new road safety cameras that track a cars speed over a length of road are way more effective at reducing crashes than fixed spot speed cameras. The so called point to point cameras average a vehicles speed over the journey between two cameras. They're being installed along stretches of six roads that are considered high risk crash areas in the Auckland region. The cameras will be tested for about about three months and data will be gathered before they're used for enforcement and tickets start being issued. Waka Kotahi's head of regulatory strategic programmes, Tara MacMillan, explains in more detail how the new cameras work.

John Freer speaks with Kathryn from Coromandel, where a new term is being coined: rain anxiety. It relates to people who are still not visiting because they are concerned they may become stuck if there is a rain event. Meanwhile contractors are making progress on repairing a key highway in and out of the tourist hotspot, SH25A. Local council is awaiting a Waka Kotahi board meeting today to see what portion of the $6b set aside for storm road recovery comes to Thames-Coromandel.

Two return convoys have managed to get through Haast Pass today as Waka Kotahi opened a single lane on the vital storm damaged route along state highway six. Muddy Creek Bridge north of Makarora was buried in a massive slip in last week's extreme weather with debris initially piled four metres high. The road's a vital tourist route linking Haast, Fox Glacier and Franz Josef to Wanaka and Queenstown. Escorted convoys of light vehicles were allowed to drive a single lane along the route at midday and four thirty this afternoon. Waka Kotahi says there are two excavators, two loaders, five trucks and a bulldozer working in confined and challenging spaces to get the job done as quickly as possible. Development West Coast CEO, Heath Milne speaks to Lisa Owen. An update from Waka Kotahi: From tomorrow morning all vehicles, including busses and those weighing over 5 tonnes can use the road. It will be by escort at 8am, 12pm and 4.30pm. The length of the guided convoy route is just under a kilometre. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6337835644112

Waka Kotahi is working to partially re-open Haast Pass; a critical road link between the west coast and Otago. It's been closed since Thursday's storms meaning locals and tourists have to take a nine hour detour to get to Queenstown. Muddy Creek Bridge on State Highway six north of Makarora has been swamped in a slip, leaving the bridge and road buried in about 20,000 cubic metres of debris. The slip is piled about four metres high at the bridge and water is flowing over the mound. The road is vital for tourists and locals and travellers coming from the likes of Haast, Fox Glacier and Franz Josef have an over nine hour trip to Queenstown via Arthurs pass. Waka Kotahi's hoping to partially reopen it tomorrow - for some vehicles only. System manager Robert Choveaux speaks to Lisa Owen. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6337773713112

Questions continue to be raised about Waka Kotahi's approach to safety issues, after RNZ reported that despite being aware other passenger trains were running red lights, the agency only sanctioned the Auckland to Hamilton service, Te Huia. Six of those eight safety incidents happened in Wellington. Also, Libby discusses Kmart becoming the first business to open a distribution centre at New Zealand's biggest inland port, the Ruakura Superhub.