Kāpiti Coast District Mayor K Gurunathan welcomes the opening of Transmission Gully and its new name Te Ara Nui o Te Rangihaeata, gifted at its opening ceremony by Ngāti Toa.

Mayor Gurunathan says as the public takes to the road for the first time today it is a historic moment for the Kāpiti Coast district and Wellington region.

“It has been such a long time coming and will bring major changes to the Kāpiti Coast, most importantly providing the transport resilience we need to be properly connected to Wellington,” Mayor Gurunathan says.

“Kāpiti is flourishing – it’s a great place to live, it’s increasingly popular with families and with our parks, reserves, pathways and beaches, not to mention bustling café scene, a wonderful place to visit.

“Te Ara Nui o Te Rangihaeata makes Kāpiti even more attractive, which I didn’t think was possible given our already stunning natural beauty and lovely people.

“It’s now safer, easier and faster to get here, and with further connections to the north poised to come on stream the future is looking bright for this district.”

Mayor Gurunathan says while it is exciting, the new road brings significant change to the whole roading network and it will take time to get used to.

“Let’s take care out there and not all rush out at once. New interchanges, a brand new road through largely unseen terrain and such high interest could make for a pretty hectic few days.

“A major new piece if infrastructure like this will take time to ‘settle down’, so a little patience will go a long way.

“And remember, Kāpiti is served by a wonderful rail network which, incidentally, will be much cheaper to use from tomorrow when ticket prices are halved for the next three months.

“Whichever way you choose to travel, come and check us out. Nau mai, haere mai!”

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