Expressway will 'force bodies out of ground'

Bodies will be popping out of the ground if an expressway runs alongside a Maori burial ground in Waikanae, a local iwi spokeswoman says.

Labour's transport spokesman Shane Jones announced at a meeting of about 80 expressway opponents in Waikanae this week that a Labour government would fund 100 per cent of a two-lane western link road instead of National's proposed four-lane expressway through the district.

The long-planned $120-million link road, designed to reduce congestion on State Highway 1 and link coastal communities, was ditched when Transport Minister Steven Joyce announced the $380m to $500m, 100-metre-wide expressway about 18 months ago, roughly along the same route.

Mr Jones said Mr Joyce was "riding an ideological juggernaut." "What bothers me deeply is that he is about to spend an inordinate amount of money on the Kapiti Carbuncle. Like all the Roads of National Significance, this particular example is further evidence of cost benefit analysis not stacking up," Mr Jones said.

Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai spokeswoman Hariata Higgott told the meeting that bodies in their urupa, alongside the expressway north of Waikanae River, would be forced out of the ground by the 7-metre-high construction, which would carve into sand dunes alongside the burial ground.

"Bodies will be popping up out of the ground," she said.

Save Kapiti group member Loretta Pomare said they did not want "this highway from hell. It will change this area for ever. Otaki MP Nathan Guy will lose his seat over this."

About 300 residents presented a 4000-signature petition to Parliament early this month but Mr Joyce remained adamant he would not revisit the Government's decision to build the expressway.

Otaki Labour candidate Peter Foster said the unanimous decision by Labour's caucus to totally fund the western link road, along with upgrading bottlenecks on State Highway 1, was great news for the district.

The last Labour government was going to fund about 90 per cent of the road before National ditched it in favour of the expressway.

Expressway opponents, including local iwi representatives, told the meeting they were extremely concerned about the environmental effects of the expressway running through the heart of the district.

- © Fairfax NZ News