You need to remember that bureaucrats have a different mindset to ordinary people and that concepts of brevity and simplicity are alien to them.
We say there should be one name for the whole thing!
According to the council media release:
“Kāpiti Coast District Council is inviting the Kāpiti Coast community to come up with names for sections of State Highway 1 (SH1) that have a strong historical connection to the district.
Strategy and Planning Group Manager Sarah Stevenson says people have from 7 March until 14 April to provide feedback to do this.
“Now the Expressway is here we have a unique opportunity to rename SH1. This has come about as a result of the existing SH1 becoming a local road.”
Within two years of the Mackays to Peka Peka section of the Kāpiti Expressway opening, the NZ Transport Agency will hand over responsibility for SH1 to the Council and it will become a fit-for-purpose local road.
Ms Stevenson said the opportunity to participate in the Council-led process to rename seven sections of SH1 is open to everyone on the Kāpiti Coast.
“People can put forward their suggestions for renaming any or all of the seven sections of SH1 or have their say on the names identified by the representatives/historians from the district’s three iwi and a local historian.”
The sections of the existing SH1 to be renamed are:
- Section 1: Paekākāriki to Mackays Crossing
- Section 2: Poplar Avenue to Kāpiti Road
- Section 3: Paraparaumu north to Waikanae River
- Section 4: Waikanae town
- Section 5: Waikanae to Peka Peka
- Section 6: Hadfield Road connection
- Section 7: Peka Peka Road to Te Kowhai Road.
The names identified by representatives/historians from the district’s three iwi and a local historian reflect the district’s rich historical and cultural history. Hurumutu is proposed for section 1; Hokowhitu for section 2; Rauoterangi for section 3; Kākākuru for section 4; Unaiki for section 5; Katu for section 6; and Matene Te Whiwhi for section 7.
Ms Stevenson says people can have their say and put forward their suggestions in a number of ways.
“They can talk to their Community Board and let them know what they think, they can email us at SH1nameyourroad@kapiticoast.govt.nz, or they can complete the form on the back of our Renaming SH1 information leaflet which is available at all of our district libraries and service centres and on our website. Alternatively, people can phone the Council for copies on 04 296 4700 or 0800 486 486.”
Ms Stevenson said all suggestions put forward for renaming sections of SH1 will be considered by the Community Boards and then presented to the Council for their decision later this year, with formal notification following.
One of the first actions of Mayor Gurunathan was to reduce the powers of the Community Boards and to give the Councillors greater powers. Previously the Community Boards had the final say in the naming of streets but this power was modified at the first Council Meeting to exclude the naming of the old State Highway One. The final decision for the naming of the roads will be left to the Councillors. When this matter was discussed at the first Council meeting members of the Community Boards objected but words fell on death ears. This Mayor is not for turning.
Six names have been proposed by the working party and the names have been selected from Kapiti history since 1820.
The public reaction is predictable although some of it unreasonable. If it had been done from grassroots up rather than from the Council down it could have been handled better.
The local iwi will no doubt, understandably, be offended if having researched and came up with the proposed names they should all be rejected by the Mayor and Councillors.
The answer then is to choose one of the seven names for the whole thing. ‘Hurumutu’ rolls off the tongue quite easily.