Both State Highways are horrors for traffic congestion. People are desperate for decent roading networks on State Highway 2 and SH29. We are sick of the congestion, and times we waste sitting bumper-to-bumper in traffic. Too often people are late for school, appointments, airports, work, sport, and family.

I am heartily sick of decisions made locally and not followed through by Central Government .In 2017 the new Labour MP told a public meeting at Ōmokoroa that her Government was not interested in roads of significance, but were only interested in road safety. State highway building stopped, ignoring the fact that in approximately 2008 we knew SH2 would be four-laned to Ōmokoroa by 2015. Central Government failed us.

The Government has changed. The former Transport Minister, who took Te Puna to Ōmokoroa roading development plan off the 10-year plan has lost his parliamentary seat – and hope is here again. We now have a Transport Minister Simeon Brown, who is actually interested in decent roading networks. He knows the issues and action must get underway as SH29 and SH2 both must be Roads of National Significance. Our new MPs Sam Uffindell, Tom Rutherford, Scott Hamilton and Cameron Luxon must keep the pressure on.

 Margaret Murray-Benge, Bethlehem.