Taupō MP Louise Upston has delivered a stinging rebuke to both sides in the Cambridge third bridge debate, suggesting Waipā District Council improve its communications with the community and calling on residents to rein in insulting tirades directed at those simply doing their job.
Upston was hosting her first local ‘drop-in session’ for 2024, held this time at the Cambridge Bowling Club. It was the first she has held since the coalition government was formed.
Taupo MP Louise Upston addressing Friday’s ‘drop-in session’ at the Cambridge Bowling Club. Photo: Viv Posselt.
She gave a quick wrap of the government’s challenges during its first 100 days and pointed to pressing focus areas before addressing local topics, including the Cambridge/Piarere roundabout – a project she described as massively significant for the area – and the Cambridge Connections issue around the town’s third bridge.
On the latter, she referenced a meeting held the previous evening at Bridges Church to provide residents with an opportunity to discuss the bridge with council staff, and expressed disappointment at reports that it had become so fractious that Waipā mayor Susan O’Regan left early apparently because of threats made against her.
Susan O’Regan
“I understand that a minority were particularly outspoken during last night’s meeting,” Upston said, “and that the overwhelming sentiment was frustration at the appalling way our council has communicated with its ratepayers. As a result of that meeting it will be clear that council communications need to be significantly improved, but that doesn’t excuse offensive or personal attacks against elected officials or staff.
“My request to you is that you remember they are simply doing their job. They might not be doing the job you would like them to do, but they are people and public servants and I think we need to dial back some of the emotion.”
She expressed her full support for a third bridge and said it was important to decide on its location soon as central government funding would be required.
“My job as your advocate is to work on that sooner than later. If it’s not on the radar in the next 10 years, we’ll get it 30 years or more down the line and that will have significant impact on the quality of life here.”
When interrupted by someone asking how she would feel if the council’s preferred option for a location put the bridge on her land, Upston said she had dealt with exactly that issue over the Cambridge to Piarere link.
“I know personally what it is like to have a major infrastructure project cross your land and the uncertainty that causes. In the case of the bridge, those decisions will be council decisions … my involvement is to urge people to understand that we need to plan it now for our future.”
Elizabeth McKnight said some residents feared the council might try to use the fast-track approvals process to push through their preferred bridge option without proper consultation. Upston said she didn’t believe the bridge would meet the criteria for fast-track approval and was met with applause when she said she would write to council to ask whether they intended doing that.
McKnight said later that residents likely to be affected by the preferred option simply wanted an explanation as to how council had come to that conclusion. It was currently being presented without adequate explanation, she added.
On wider issues, Upson said the government was focused on rebuilding the economy and easing the cost of living, tightening up on law and order, tackling problems in the education sector and improving the public service.
“There was an 81 percent increase in government spending over the last six years without a corresponding increase in services and outcomes,” she said. “We knew there were fiscal challenges coming in, but the situation is even more challenging than we thought and we are now in the process of bringing government spending back under control.”
See: It was wrong to be all at C
Taupō MP Louise Upston, centre, flanked by Cambridge Bowling Club president Peter Hand and Waipā councillor Philip Coles. Photo: Viv Posselt.
