Update 31 October 2023. A representative from the Meadowbank St Johns Residents Association presented to the Auckland Transport Board.
Charmaine Vaughan Meadowbank St Johns Residents Association, Sarah Powrie Deputy Chair Orakei Local Board and Scott Milne Chair Orakei Local Board
Update 15 August 2023. Thanks to everyone that completed a submission in support of the Gowing Drive connection. Submissions to the Ōrākei Local Board Have your say are now closed.
A representative from the Meadowbank St Johns Residents Association presented to the Ōrākei Local Board business meeting on Thursday 17 August.
Members of the community at the Orakei Local Board meeting to support the Gowing Drive connection
We have some news on the long-awaited Gowing Drive link to Te Ara ki Uta ki Tai (Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path).
But first some background – the Gowing Drive link will give local residents and students safe and quick access across the Pourewa Valley to and from Selwyn College, St Thomas School and the waterfront. It attracted a massive amount of community support and advocacy over the years, and was selected by the Ōrākei Local Board as their flagship project, and later was backed by Council’s Governing Body. This was a massive win for our suburbs and the wider area.
The link couldn’t be delivered as part of the main Te Ara ki Uta ki Ta project, so Auckland Transport set up a separate project called the “Meadowbank to Kohimarama Connections Project”.
Auckland Transport’s most recent update, from April 2023 notes that the project could “take the opportunity of KiwiRail’s closing the Eastern Line temporarily for upgrades, which would allow the construction of the underpass beneath the Eastern Line, from August to October 2023.”
So what’s happening? Well there’s good news… a property on Gowing Drive was purchased to enable access, and we understand the link has been planned and consented, and much of the design work has been done.
And, yes, there’s bad news… we’ve just heard that the Gowing Drive link has been put “on hold due to budget constraints. Construction funding is not available at this time… the construction timeframe is not known.”
So our children will continue to not have safe and direct access to schools, we won’t have direct access to the shared path for commuting and recreation and hundreds of car trips wont be taken off the road reducing congestion and car emissions because this project has been put on hold…or worse.
It makes sense to complete the work on the tunnel that is part of this connection while the Eastern train line isn’t running due to the Kiwirail work happening at the moment.
So please join the Residents Association and many others in speaking up for to show your support for the Gowing Drive connection by completing the Ōrākei Local Board Have Your Say.
If your aren’t familiar with the have your process here are some tips;
- You can jump straight to the ‘activity area 4: our places’ in the have your say document and tell them why and which focus area is most important to you…the Gowing Drive connection.
- No need to complete anything else other than provide your email and select that you are in the Ōrākei Local Board area.
- When you tell them why its important to you, you can mention (in your own words preferably);
– getting the tunnel installed while the railway line is shut makes sense.
– this project has had overwhelming community support from across the region.
– it provides a safe direct route for walking and cycling – from Meadowbank and St Johns to/from schools and the waterfront and to/from the train station.
– substitutes 100s of car journeys cutting emission and congestion, which is exactly what we need to combat climate change.
– include a personal story about what the Gowing Drive connection will mean to you.
Bonus points if you can encourage other people to have their say and if you have a local organisation or connections to one please get in touch with if you would like to provide a letter of support to the Ōrākei Local Board.
The Have Your Say consultation closes on 14 August so please don’t delay in completing it as it only takes a couple of minutes. And please encourage others to as well.
