Welcome to the 15th Newsletter for CityWatch NZ
This month’s newsletter focuses on Hamilton neighbourhoods being allocated into Historic Heritage Areas. We have an opinion piece and open letter to the Council by homeowner Jean Dorrell who details the saga of going through the heritage designation process. Even Kāinga Ora is challenging Hamilton City Council’s decisions around assigning heritage status to many properties and neighbourhoods.
Property developers gave critical feedback to Hamilton City Council at a recent committee meeting about the sewage pipe network’s overloading problems. Consents for building new housing in some older suburbs are being declined due to "wastewater network constraints". We have also posted a formal complaint from Colin Jones, where he criticises many years of Council’s flawed modelling around “infrastructure pinch points” and other constraints on infill housing.
Don Hewison looks into the problem of ”ghostbuses” in a short opinion piece. He estimates how many trees would be needed to offset the carbon dioxide emissions from the largely empty buses routinely circling around the streets where he lives.
The bill to legalise congestion charges is still working its way through Parliament. CityWatch NZ Editor John McDonald provides an opinion piece covering ‘six major reasons to oppose road pricing schemes’. We also have more international perspectives on the issue, with a ‘media coverage summary’ for New York’s recently introduced congestion charging scheme.
In other news, locals opposed to tolling sent over 10,000 responses into a NZTA consultation and the new Manawatū-Tararua Highway is no longer becoming a toll road. Due to a disagreement between neighboring community boards on installing speed humps, Christchurch City’s planned $590,000 raised crossing will now be flat on one side of the road, and raised on the other side.
Links are provided to relevant events, in-progress petitions, and open consultations at the end of this newsletter.
HAMILTON’S PLAN CHANGE 9 AND HISTORIC HERITAGE AREA
Hamilton resident Jean Dorrell provides an open letter and an opinion piece, covering the process when your street is being turned into a Historic Heritage Area, without any evidence of heritage being provided. It started with a letter from the council in June 2022 informing her about the proposed heritage designation. She started requesting and analysing expert reports from Council and began a quest to challenge the ‘fake history’ that said she was living in a historic railway cottage.
OPEN LETTER: “HeritageGate” – The Problems with Hamilton’s Plan Change 9
OPINION: Ask Not What Your Council Can Do For You, But What It Can Do TO You.
“The imposition of a heritage designation on a property results in increased costs[1], it generally decreases the property value[2] and places restrictions on the home owner[3]. These are serious impositions and should not be placed on a property without strong evidence.”
Jean Dorrell, “HeritageGate” – The Problems with Hamilton’s Plan Change 9
The process in Hamilton City has lasted at least 2.5 years and is still ongoing with appeals.
Kāinga Ora filed an appeal to the Environment Court in March 2025, claiming that Hamilton City Council has declared too many properties, streets, and neighbourhoods as having heritage status under Plan Change 9. Specific properties are identified as “Built Heritage items” and streets (or in some case almost entire suburbs) are put in “Historic Heritage Areas” for protection.
“The Decision affords protection to typical examples of the State House programme that has occurred overtime, rather than identifying those areas of the City that hold a significant historic heritage value (such as Hayes Paddock). In doing so, the provisions unreasonably restrict the ability of Kāinga Ora to appropriately use, manage and redevelop it’s housing portfolio to meet the changing needs for public housing within Hamilton.”
Notice of appeal by Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities against Decision 4 by Hamilton City Council on Plan Change 9 (Historic Heritage and Natural Environment) to the Operative District Plan, 21 March 2025
The Kāinga Ora maps show large blocks of Hamilton set to become Historic Heritage Areas. The HCC website might be able to provide up-to-date maps.
Plan Change 9: Kāinga Ora appeals against large blocks of Hamilton becoming Historic Heritage Areas
It would be inaccurate to refer to the process of giving properties heritage status as being 'thorough'. However, the process is definitively 'voluminous' with many days of hearings, thousands of pages of documents, many hundreds of thousands spent on experts, and multiple revisions of the plan change.
HAMILTON DEVELOPERS CONCERNED WITH INSUFFICIENT INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CITY
Hamilton City Council faces a crisis as property developers are getting consents declined due to the sewage pipe network being at capacity in some suburbs.
Concerns that areas of Hamilton are “wastewater network constrained”
On the 8th of April 2025, Hamilton City Council held a Strategic Growth and District Plan Committee meeting.
The meeting’s public forum was unusually well-attended with a number of concerned people speaking to the agenda item of “Wastewater Capacity – ‘State of the Nation'”.
Many public forum speakers were property developers and builders who were concerned that resource consents were being blocked in some suburbs due to the risks of the existing sewage network being overwhelmed.
Hamilton City Council staff described the situation as…
“14. There is a high level of awareness amongst developers of these constrained areas, which has significantly impacted the number of proposed developments taken forward to the consenting stage in those areas.
15. Since March 2023, Council has received over 1,600 wastewater capacity queries for brownfield development areas. Of those, 46% (754) have been advised of network constraints, and subsequently no development has taken place. No resource consents have been granted in constrained areas in this time, beyond those Council had previously committed to. In the same period, Council has consented over 2,150 new lots/dwellings in other parts of the city, with around two-thirds of those being infill developments.”
Page 37-38 of Strategic Growth and District Plan Committee Agenda 8 April 2025- OPEN
Colin Jones has spent many years investigating Hamilton City Council and expressing concerns about serious inaccuracies in the modelling being used by Council. He provided CityWatch NZ with a copy of his complaint against Hamilton City Council Mayor and CEO from 28 June 2023.
His complaint centres around flaws and omissions in the City Council’s modelling of “commercially feasible“ housing development capacity in the City. It appears that “infrastructure pinch points” and other constraints on infill housing such as covenants were being overlooked in the modelling.
OPEN LETTER: Colin Jones – Formal complaint against Hamilton City Council Mayor and CEO
OFFSETTING THE CARBON EMISSIONS OF “GHOSTBUSES”
Don Hewison looks into the issue of the empty buses without passengers that travel the bus routes near his home. He and his wife call them the ”ghostbuses”. In his latest opinion piece, Don Hewison estimates how many trees would be needed to offset the carbon dioxide emissions from these largely empty buses.
OPINION: Are There Ghostbuses Running Amuck In Our City?
…the trees required to offset the pollution from buses travelling down the length of our street, as part of scheduled timetable, over the time of one year, often carrying no passengers is approx. 31 of these large trees.
If the whole Rototuna Circular Bus route is considered, at a distance of 21 km, the number of trees needed to offset the carbon emissions is at least 540 of these large trees. Even to plant trees now, we need to realise that this tree in Christchurch is 100 years old.
Admittedly, buses need to run regularly, but where are the trees required to reduce/cancel out carbon emissions?
Don Hewison, Are There Ghostbuses Running Amuck In Our City?
CONGESTION CHARGES AND THE TIME-OF-USE BILL
The bill currently before Parliament is designed to legalise time-of-use charging and congestion charging, allowing councils to turn existing roads into sophisticated toll roads. The new charges will likely be variable and change due to the time-of-day. Official documents indicate plans to expand the schemes into the future.
The Land Transport Management (Time of Use Charging) Amendment Bill is currently be evaluated by the select committee. Public feedback to the select committee closed on Sunday, 27 April 2025.
CityWatch NZ Editor John McDonald wrote an opinion piece outlining the reasons to oppose congestion charges and time-of-use charging schemes.
OPINION: Six Major Reasons to Oppose Road Pricing
He highlights the UK case of people opposing Manchester Council’s attempts to introduce congestion charging and then a Clean Air Zone . This case is recommended reading for those looking to oppose road pricing schemes in New Zealand. It is a good lesson in both tactics and resolve.
What Has Been Happening with Number Plate Recognition Cameras in Manchester, UK?
“2025 will be a critical year as moves to legalise road pricing schemes are currently underway in Parliament. The congestion charging schemes will involve additional surveillance technology being used to monitor vehicle movements and a billing system which effectively turns existing public roads into toll roads. A combination of charges, fees, permits, and fines are used in the schemes to collect revenue and penalise private motor vehicle travel.
Surveillance technologies often involve automatic number plate recognition cameras (ANPR) or radiofrequency identification checkpoints (RFID). The more ambitious schemes being proposed involve nationwide tracking of all vehicles on all roads using compulsory GPS-type devices, with this being promoted as a future replacement for fuel taxes and road-user charges…
…This article will cover six major reasons to oppose road pricing, covering both the current bill before Parliament and proposed schemes into the future.
Additional taxes and charges
Changing the existing ‘social contract’ around toll roads, rights, and freedom of movement.
Additional costs to society in the set up and running of the schemes.
The use of incrementalism and gradualism to undermine opposition.
Social engineering and future ideological uses of the schemes.
Expanding the surveillance state and enabling ‘turnkey totalitarianism’.
The Ministry of Transport acknowledged many of these concerns when briefing Cabinet in 2024, even mentioning the potential “totalitarian” aspects.”
John McDonald, Six Major Reasons to Oppose Road Pricing
CityWatch NZ’s ongoing coverage of congestion charging can be found using the following link
https://www.citywatchnz.org/category/transport/road-pricing-congestion-charges/
NEW YORK’S CONGESTION CHARGING SCHEME
New York has been running a congestion charging scheme since early January 2025. The scheme is regarded as the first of its kind in the US and uses number plate recognition cameras to apply charges to vehicles entering lower Manhattan. The New York case provides yet another example of congestion charging and the controversial nature of the road pricing schemes. It could also be seen as a case where a national government is coercing an urban authority. This coercion can be done through providing funding to a city with conditions or the central government threatening to remove funding for non-compliance.
New York Governor and the “Feds” clash over Manhattan’s new congestion charges
Earlier proposals for this scheme were going to charge private passenger cars $15 and trucks up to $36 per trip. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who has been heavily promoting the scheme, reduced the prices of the tolls before the scheme was launched.
“The MTA’s congestion pricing tolls went live on Jan. 5. Here are key aspects of the tolling scheme south of 60th Street in Manhattan:
A $9 fee on passenger vehicles from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
A 75% discount for all vehicles during the overnight hours, putting the after-hours toll at $2.25.
A $14.40 toll for smaller trucks, such as box trucks.
A $21.60 toll for large trucks, including big rigs.
A $4.50 toll for motorcyclists.
Yellow and green taxis receive an additional 75-cent surcharge.
For-hire vehicles such as Uber and Lyft receive an additional $1.50 surcharge.
Both taxis and app-based for-hire vehicles pass the cost of the tolls onto passengers.
Drivers who do not use E-ZPass when entering the congestion zone pay an extra 50%.”
Feds threaten NYC highway money if MTA doesn't shut down congestion pricing. The Gothamist, 21 April 2025
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has declared the scheme illegal and has demanded the tolling cease. US President Trump has vowed to stop the scheme. The scheme has already been challenged in court cases with future legal challenges expected.
Governor Hochul held a 21 March 2025 press release/conference stating:
“…just walk around and talk to people, ask if their lives are more enriched, whether they have more time with their families if they're a commuter, whether or not they're finally realizing that we have the world-class public transit system but we need to keep it world class by raising the revenues to invest in it as well, that is essential.
So, today is an important day. The cameras are staying on.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, 22 March 2025”
Earlier in March 2025, poll results gauging New York State voters’ opinion on the scheme showed that 40% “believe it should be eliminated” and only 33% “believe it should remain”. Opposition towards the scheme appeared stronger in a December 2024 survey and remains stronger in areas outside of the inner city.
Most drivers pay $9 during peak hours to drive south of 60th Street in Manhattan. Since Jan. 5, when the toll first started, through March 31, it has brought in close to the $160 million in revenue it budgeted for, according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority data released Monday.
The MTA runs the city’s transit system and implements the program, which is expected to raise $500 million this year. It plans to borrow against the revenue source and raise $15 billion to upgrade infrastructure.”
NYC’s Congestion Toll Raised $159 Million in the First Quarter, Bloomburg, 29 April 2025.
LOCALS OPPOSE TOLL ROAD, HUGE OPPOSITION TURNOUT IN NZTA CONSULTATION
The new Manawatū-Tararua Highway, due to open in mid-2025, is no longer becoming a toll road.
No tolls on the new Manawatū Tararua Highway, public feedback was 90% against the proposed tolling
NZTA received over 12,000 responses from the public and 22 submissions from “key stakeholder groups”. Over 90% of the respondents did not support a toll on the Manawatū Tararua Highway.
Most “key stakeholder groups” also opposed the proposed toll. The opposition included all the iwi/ hapū groups, health care providers, and education providers involved in the consultation. Most of the local councils, transport associations, and community & church organisations also opposed the tolling.
The only named “key stakeholder groups” in the consultation who supported the toll were South Taranaki District Council (STDC), National Road Carriers Association, and Infrastructure New Zealand.
In December 2024, the Minister of Transport announced that the Manawatū – Tararua Highway will not become a toll road (3 other new roads became toll roads in the same announcement).
ONE OF CHRISTCHURCH’S PLANNED RAISED CROSSINGS WILL NOT GO ACROSS WHOLE ROAD
Christchurch City Council was planning to install a raised pedestrian crossing across Deans Ave at an estimated cost of $590,000.
Funding is to be sourced from the Christchurch Regeneration Acceleration Facility (CRAF), which is post-quake Central Government funding.
Deans Ave is the boundary between the Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board on the west and the Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board in the east.
The two community boards each voted to support different crossing plan options in the joint meeting on 27 March 2025. The result of the conflicting votes is a plan to only have the raised platform speed bumps on the eastern side of the road, according to Star News. The situation was described by current board member (and aspiring council candidate) Ali Jones as "Monty Python-esque".
OPEN CONSULTATIONS, PETITIONS, AND EVENT NOTICES
MEETING NOTICE: 03 MAY 2025 – HAMILTON RESIDENTS & RATEPAYERS ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED
Date: Saturday, 3rd of May 2025
Time: 2:00pm-4:00pm
Location: Fellowship lounge, The Link, 4 Te Aroha Street, Hamilton
Discussion Topic: Transport
As part of our public meeting schedule for this election year, the Hamilton Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc. are inviting current councillors and prospective candidates to a public discussion on the topic of transport.
They have been asked to present their views on this topic and email hamiltonratepayers@gmail.com before the 30th of April 2025 to be listed as a scheduled speaker.
They will be given 2-3 minutes each to present their views and policies, followed by a public question & answer session.
NOTE: We ask that if you know of any prospective candidates to please pass this invitation on to them.
NEW CONSULTATION ON URBAN CONNECTORS
CLOSES 5:00 PM WEDNESDAY 14 MAY 2025
“NZTA has opened new speed reviews on 16 sections of state highway that are categorised as urban connectors, and is currently consulting between 2 April and 14 May 2025 to seek local road user and community feedback on proposals to re-set lower speeds in each location.
Speed limits in each of these locations were lowered in recent years (since 2020), however a new requirement under the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 (the Rule) means that each of these urban connectors are now required to automatically reverse back to their previous higher speed limit by 1 July 2025.
Following publication of NZTA’s list of auto-reversal locations in January 2025, NZTA has received feedback on a number of urban connectors where the community is strongly in support of keeping the current lower speed limits, instead of seeing them reverse.
Following careful consideration of this feedback and past evidence of community support, NZTA has now opened formal review of speed limits on these sections of road. These new speed reviews acknowledge that under the Rule, on 1 July 2025, these locations must reverse back to higher speeds (for eg, 70km, 80km or 100km, depending on where they are). In light of this, these new speed reviews are proposing to change back these locations’ speeds immediately following this change in July (eg, back to the lower speed they have today).”
PLAIN LANGUAGE ACT REPEAL BILL
CLOSES 11:59 PM WEDNESDAY 14 MAY 2025
“The Governance and Administration Committee is calling for submissions on the Plain Language Act Repeal Bill. If passed the bill would repeal the Plain Language Act 2022”
Links:
View the Plain language Act 2022 at this link
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2022/0054/latest/whole.html?
EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS (TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT BY AGREEMENT) AMENDMENT BILL
CLOSES 11:59 PM THURSDAY 22 MAY 2025
“The Chair of Parliament's Education and Workforce Committee is calling for submissions on the Employment Relations (Termination of Employment by Agreement) Amendment Bill. The closing date for submissions is Thursday, 22 May 2025.
The bill would allow for protected negotiations to occur between an employer and employee to terminate the employee's contract.”
Links:
HAMILTON CITY COUNCIL: COBHAM DRIVE SPEED INCREASE 60KM/H BACK TO 80KM/H
CLOSES WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL 2025
“We want your feedback on the proposal to keep the 60km/h speed limit on a section of Cobham Drive, between the intersection of Normandy Avenue and Tristram Street, for safety. The central Government’s new speed limit rules will increase this speed limit to 80km/h by 30 June 2025 if this proposal is not approved.
Keeping the 60km/h speed limit supports the safety of all road users. This section of Cobham Drive is a busy road which connects the central city and Hamilton south. An average of 23,000 vehicles use this road every day, and it provides access to key destinations such as Hamilton Gardens, Waikato Hospital and PAK’nSAVE.
Crash data shows a 70% decrease since the speed limit was lowered in June 2023.
Retaining the speed limit means no changes to the road are needed. If the speed limit increases to 80km/h, the new signage required on this road (speed limit signs and curve advisory signs) is estimated to cost $20,000.”
Link:
https://haveyoursay.hamilton.govt.nz/cobham-drive-speed-limit-reduction
“SAVE THE CHATEAU TONGARIRO HOTEL” PETITION
CLOSES SUNDAY 31 AUGUST 2025 AT 11.59PM NZST
The petition can be found at this link…
https://petitions.parliament.nz/c9ffd862-08cd-46a0-5a8d-08dc72d04919
The petition text is copied below…
“The future of the Chateau Tongariro Hotel hangs in the balance, with negotiations underway and decisions pending from government officials. There is a strong desire from the local community, as well as from people across New Zealand and around the world, to see this iconic building saved. By imploring the Government to act with urgency to save the Chateau, we seek to preserve a treasured piece of our cultural heritage along with the economic prosperity and tourism excellence that it represents.”
Posting of event information, petition information, consultation viewpoints, or other content on the CityWatch NZ newsletter or website does not constitute endorsement of those views by CityWatch NZ or its editors. This section is largely based on information readers have sent to us on issues they think are important.
If there is a political/regulatory consultation, petition, or event you think might be of interest to CityWatch NZ readers, email the details to contact@citywatchnz.org