Hutt Valley residents have sent a strong message to the Government that it needs to wake up, see sense, and build the Melling Interchange, Hutt South MP Chris Bishop says.

“It’s ridiculous, quite frankly, that the Government has delayed construction of this important State Highway 2 project until at least 2028 despite it being crucial for the Hutt’s prosperity and Transport Minister Phil Twyford admitting it ‘ticks all the boxes’ for funding.

“The project had NZTA approval until Phil Twyford came along. His delay is a slap in the face to the Hutt Valley. The 500 or so people who showed up to my Rally for Melling today made that clear. They can’t wait a decade for this project to go ahead.

“Not only is the Melling Interchange critical for easing SH2 congestion, improving road safety and upgrading the local railway station, it’s also needed to pave the way for the Riverlink project, which will increase Lower Hutt’s flood protection and revitalise its CBD.

“Hutt residents are now in the unbelievable situation of having to stump up $4 million from their own pockets to fund planning and consents for a major state highway project because the Government is too cheap.

“Phil Twyford has said there’s no money left. That’s preposterous. He’s got billions sitting in the Land Transport Fund and the $120m or so needed for Melling is a drop in the bucket.

“Hutt Valley residents deserve better. They got almost nothing out of the Let’s Get Wellington Moving transport package, which is throwing $6.4 billion at Wellington’s CBD, yet they’re being told to cover almost half the cost of that and wait a decade for any meaningful transport improvements of their own.

“The anger over this is red hot. My petition calling for action received 7000 signatures. Sods would be turning on the Melling Interchange right now if National was in Government.

“If elected in 2020, National will start construction of the Melling Interchange in our first term rather than lead people on with empty promises of funding that may never come.

“The Hutt Valley isn’t going to prosper under a Transport Minister who has short arms and deep pockets.”

Rally for Melling photos can be found here

The unwillingness of Wellington’s regional councillors to show accountability for the region’s bumbling bus network means it’s time for a Crown Observer to step in, National MPs Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis say.

“The briefing Greater Wellington Regional Council gave to the Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee today did nothing to quell concerns about continuing network failures,” Mr Bishop says.

“It is time for Transport Minister Phil Tywford to reconsider appointing a Crown Observer to oversee the network repairs and get the level of service back to where it needs to be.

“Acting regional council chairperson Barbara Donaldson appeared blind to what is going on around her, telling the committee that ‘Wellington’s bus service is in pretty good shape’.

“This is despite the council’s own data showing 37 bus services are being cancelled each day and more than 10 per cent of Wellington buses are running late. Buses in outer suburbs are also failing to meet on-time targets.

Ms Willis says a Crown Observer would have the power to help the council resolve these problems, to monitor progress and to make recommendations to the Government about further action that may be needed.

“I regularly hear stories from people waiting in the rain for buses that are delayed, overcrowded, or just haven’t shown up. I have had Wellingtonians tell me they have purchased cars for the first time in their lives due to the current unreliability problems.

“The continued buck-passing between regional councillors and city councillors is growing tiresome, with Cr Donaldson saying ‘bureaucracy moves slowly’. That’s not good enough.

“The regional council continues to show it is unable to solve these problems itself. Mr Twyford cannot continue to look the other way while bus users are left in the lurch.

“If this Government wants New Zealanders to become more reliant on public transport then it needs to ensure services are up to scratch. So far, it is failing to do this in Wellington.”

The Government’s ineptitude when it comes to transport has been on full display this week with its Ministers unable to agree on whether Auckland’s light rail will cost $4 billion or $7 billion, National’s transport spokesperson Chris Bishop says.

“Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones told a recent Parliamentary Select Committee that he’d seen estimates for the proposed City Centre to Māngere line that costed it at $7.6 billion.

“But today Transport Minister Phil Twyford said he disagreed, and thought it was more like $4 billion, although he couldn’t really say how much until the business case was done.

“So who is right and who is wrong? It’s become a $3.6 billion dollar question, and one the Government should have answered long before now.

“Phil Twyford said the business case for this project would be ready by November 2018. The fact it has been delayed this long shows his officials are struggling to make the project work on a value-for-money level.

“The Transport Minister’s pledge that he would have light rail completed to Mt Roskill within four years is looking like yet another broken promise, as almost two years on he hasn’t completed the most basic first step.

“Failing to deliver has been a theme across both of Phil Twyford’s Ministerial portfolios. This is more evidence the Prime Minister needs to either strip him of responsibilities or move him out of Cabinet altogether as part of her reshuffle.”

The proposed firearm buyback scheme announced by the Government will likely leave many owners out of pocket, undermining the legitimacy of the scheme, National’s Police spokesperson Chris Bishop says.

“The feedback we have heard is that while some people are comfortable with the price list offered by the Government, thousands of people will be thousands of dollars out of pocket.

“Many people will be forced to hand over their guns at below market value which isn’t fair and isn’t right. The Government should be buying guns back at fair market value.

“The Government’s proposals put the integrity and legitimacy of the scheme at risk. If licenced firearm owners do not believe the price being paid to them is fair; they will not participate in the scheme, defeating the whole point of the buyback.

“National is the party of property rights and we believe licenced firearm owners should be compensated properly and fairly. Up until the passage of the recent Arms Amendment Act, people owned these firearms legally. Parliament has acted to make them illegal but when the Government confiscates private property, people should still be fairly compensated.

“The Government’s proposals are also troublesome in other ways. First, it looks like parts will also not be valued fairly.

“Secondly, safes are excluded. Many people have invested many thousands of dollars in high-spec safes which are now useless or irrelevant because the firearms previously stored in them will be handed back.

“Thirdly, for people with unusual or high value firearms, applications for special valuations will be at the applicant’s own expense. But the Crown should pay.

“The devil is in the detail and there will likely be thousands of people who will be thousands of dollars out of pocket. The critical thing is that the compensation scheme not only has to be fair, but it has to be seen as fair.

“This is a good attempt by the Government but falls short in many ways. The Government can and must do better.”

The Government’s much touted promise to add 1800 new frontline police officers in three years is in tatters, and looks set to be ‘reset’ a la KiwiBuild, National’s Police spokesperson Chris Bishop says.

“In two years the Police have only added 472 new police to the force, taking into account attrition in the force. In recent months the number of new police officers has actually gone backwards, from 527 in March, down to 472 in June.

“Police Minister Stuart Nash and the Government committed to 1800 new police by the time of the next election, little more than a year away. Mr Nash has absolutely no chance of reaching that target and keeping his commitment to New Zealanders.

“Failure to deliver on promises is a recurring theme of this Government. KiwiBuild has only just cracked 100 houses, fees-free has been a flop and there’s been a measly 1 per cent increase in medicine funding.

“New Zealanders around the country will be disappointed at yet another broken promise by a hopeless and incompetent Government that talks big, but can’t deliver.”

A graphic from Police showing their progress on the promised 1800 increase to constabulary staff.

MP for Hutt South Chris Bishop is inviting Hutt residents to a big Rally for Melling at Melling Station on Saturday 29 June.

The new Melling Interchange, a critical project for the Hutt Valley, has been delayed until at least 2028, despite “ticking all the boxes” in the words of the Minister of Transport.

“The delay to Melling is totally unacceptable, and we need to show NZTA and the Government just how wrong their decision is. I’m inviting the many Hutt residents who care deeply about this project to come and visibly show their support from 12.30pm on Saturday 29 June.

"Melling is a critical infrastructure project that will ease congestion, improve safety, allow for improved flood protection, and improve public transport, walking and cycling.

"It really does tick all the boxes, which is why the Government’s decision to delay funding until 2028 or later is so disappointing.

“The Rally for Melling follows on from my petition (www.chrisbishop.co.nz/melling) that thousands of Hutt residents have already signed, with numbers rising every day.

“The idea of a rally came out of my public meeting on the new interchange a couple of weeks ago. Hutt residents are fired up and want to show the Government this decision is short-sighted and wrong.

“People can indicate they’re coming on Facebook. I’m looking forward to the 29th. See you there.”

The news that safety upgrades on ‘Wellington’s most dangerous road’ have been delayed indefinitely is incredibly disappointing and flies in the face of the Government’s alleged commitment to road safety, says MP for Hutt South Chris Bishop.

“The construction of two roundabouts on State Highway 58 have been delayed, despite funding previously been approved.

“But NZTA says SH58 is Wellington’s most dangerous road.

“These upgrades to SH58 were meant to be in place by the time Transmission Gully opens, but that is now in doubt.

“This afternoon I questioned Road Safety Minister Julie Anne Genter about the delayed safety upgrades and she was unable give a straight answer about why these important projects have been delayed.

“The AA, the Road Safety Forum, and many Wellington residents are very concerned about the safety upgrade delays. The Government says road safety is one of their highest priorities but will not put money where their mouth is.

“The delayed safety upgrades comes on the back of news that the new Melling Interchange has been delayed until 2028 or later, Petone to Grenada has been effectively cancelled, and the Cross Valley Link is on the never-never.

“The Government is failing Wellington and the Hutt Valley.”

The Government needs to explain why the Budget contains a $10 million funding cut for Police to deliver the Road Safety Programmes, National’s Spokesperson for Police Chris Bishop says

“The Government has repeatedly said that it has made road safety one of its highest priorities.

“However, Budget 2019 appropriates spending of $331 million in Vote Police to cover the delivery of services outlined in the New Zealand Road Safety Programme directed towards the achievement of the road safety outcomes, down from $341 million in 2018/19 – a cut of nearly $10 million.

“This will mean fewer traffic cops on the road, fewer breath tests, and less enforcement of our driving laws. None of this enhances ‘wellbeing’, particularly when the Government has a ‘Vision Zero’ target for the road toll and has boasted that it has made road safety one of its highest priorities.

“This is yet another example of Government rhetoric being on a collision course with actual facts. Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter and Police Minister Stuart Nash need to explain how they have overseen a funding cut to Road Safety.”

Police Minister Stuart Nash owes New Zealanders an explanation about whether Police have had to buy back the guns that were stolen when they left the backdoor open, National’s Police spokesperson Chris Bishop says.

“Mr Nash and the Prime Minister said New Zealanders could hand their firearms into Police following the Christchurch terrorist attacks. But they didn’t check first whether Police could securely hold them.

“Last month 11 guns were stolen from Palmerston North Police Station, after a back door to the station was left open.

“National understands that to get back eight of the 11 guns that were stolen from Palmerston North Police Station, Police had to pay to get them back. Mr Nash refused to say whether or not Police paid for the return of the guns, despite being asked twice in Parliament today.

“The Minister needs to be honest about what has happened here. It would be deeply embarrassing for the Government’s gun buyback scheme to start by paying criminals for weapons stolen from a police station.”

Budget 2019 must appropriate money for the innovative and successful family violence intervention programme known as the Integrated Safety Response (ISR), says National’s Police spokesperson Chris Bishop.

“The programme was established by the previous National-led government and has been running in two pilot sites (Christchurch and Hamilton) since mid-2016. But funding is set to run out by 30 June 2019.

“ISR is a multi-agency programme that works to ensure the immediate safety of victims and children, and to work with perpetrators to prevent further violence. Key features include dedicated staff, funded specialist services for victims and perpetrators, and an intensive case management approach to collectively work with high risk families.

“An evaluation report in 2017 showed that the level of seriousness and frequency of family violence incidents reduced significantly in the six months after people came into contact with the pilot. So far 75,500 individuals have been through the ISR system, with 31,381 family safety plans created.

“The Government has talked a big game on family violence reduction, but so far have delivered little in the way of tangible improvements. National’s intention was always to roll out ISR around the country after the pilot period, and this Government should follow National’s lead.

“The Government missed an opportunity to strengthen and expand the ISR in last year’s Budget and they must not miss this chance again.

“They should be looking at expanding this successful programme around the country, rather than leaving providers in limbo waiting for new money.”