Residents of the Western Bay of Plenty who are the affected parties of the Median Barriers SH2 Waihi to Omokoroa project, blocking their rural roads, are calling on the Prime Minister and government MP’s and officials to urgently intervene and expose the disingenuous practices of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). 

Recent revelations have highlighted the agency's troubling pattern of bureaucratic authoritarianism, undermining genuine community consultation and raising serious concerns about their behaviour. 

NZTA's recent statements about the ease of removing flexible safety barriers along the SH2 Waihi to Omokoroa corridor, for emergency access have come under scrutiny. The agency claimed that “barriers could be quickly pulled out of the way to allow emergency vehicles to pass.” Yet, information obtained through an Official Information Act (OIA) request contradicts this, stating that emergency services should not handle the wire ropes, which must be dealt with by trained roading crews. This contradiction has sparked outrage among some local residents, who are now questioning the reliability of NZTA's project plans and calling for an urgent external review of the project’s legitimacy. 

It has also come to light that the last two reviews conducted by the NZTA, despite numerous attempts by residents to engage in consultations and meetings, were blatantly ignored. This deliberate exclusion of residents as stakeholders highlights a troubling pattern of bureaucratic authoritarianism within the agency. By conducting internal reviews without genuine stakeholder engagement, the NZTA exemplifies a top-down approach that disregards transparency and accountability, creating a fertile ground for corruption. The agency's reliance on superficial internal assessments, combined with their dismissive cut-and-paste responses to community concerns, signals a worrying precursor to more entrenched covert practices. 

It also appears, NZTA’s public relations practices are designed to create an illusion of consultation while avoiding genuine engagement. A glaring example of this disingenuous approach was a media release issued just one hour before a crucial community hall meeting—a meeting that NZTA failed to attend. This tactic highlights their strategic avoidance of direct confrontation and meaningful dialogue with the community, which is one of the biggest stakeholders in the project. Such actions underscore a troubling pattern of superficial engagement, where the appearance of consultation is prioritised over actual, substantive interaction. 

Additionally, one part of the project was rushed through, involving the median barrier crossing at Aongatete Road, Wright Road, and Dawson Road, immediately following the community town hall meeting. This hasty implementation included new shoulder closures,

which have now led to dangerous manoeuvres over the local bridge. Locals are witnessing an increase in hazardous situations and are urgently calling for their turning bays to be reinstated before the flawed design results in serious accidents or fatalities. The rushed and ill-considered changes underscore the need for thorough consultation and careful planning to ensure community safety is not compromised. 

The Western Bay of Plenty residents are calling on the Prime Minister and those in power to urgently start a public enquiry, and expose these practices. Faced with NZTA’s disingenuous consultation methods and bureaucratic authoritarianism, the community seeks immediate intervention to ensure transparency and accountability.

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