Expressway opponents to give cheque to Christchurch Wizard at Parliament
Kapiti Coasters are heading to Parliament at 1pm on Wednesday 18 July to present a giant $450 million cheque to the Wizard on behalf of Christchurch.
The Save Kapiti group says $450 million represents the difference between a local Kapiti road plan and the Government’s proposed Kapiti expressway. they say that the Government has got its priorities wrong.
And Save Kapiti spokesperson Bianca Begovich has commented in verse:
Climate Change
“Not my fault” says
the rednecked politician
as he drives his SUV down
the supersonic highway
built for his friends
in the trucking lobby… (read more on our Poetry page)
Commenting on the cheque presentation, Ms Begovich says “The Christchurch earthquake is one of the largest natural disasters in New Zealand’s history and not enough Government money is going into the rebuild.
‘Money better spent in Ch’ch
“The money for an unnecessary road project in Kapiti (see cheque at right) is much better spent on Christchurch where it’s desperately needed. It’s obvious that the Government should revert to the local road plan and give the extra money to help rebuild Christchurch.” 
She says: “The expressway is not about solving traffic congestion. Kapiti already had a local road solution that provided connectivity, removed congestion from SH1 and gave an alternate route through the Kapiti district, all at a third of the price.
“This (the Expressway) is a blatant waste of money. There are also serious environmental, social and economic problems with the Government’s proposal. Their $14 billion investment in seven similar motorway projects throughout the country shows that despite what they say, Christchurch is not their number one priority.”
Wizard joining locals
The Wizard will be joining other Christchurch locals including Green and Labour MP’s who will be taking the cheque back to Christchurch, following Transport minister Gerry Brownlee’s refusal to accept it.
The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has recently made a call for submissions on the Kapiti expressway which will be reviewed by an independent Board of Inquiry. For more information go to www.epa.govt.nz or visit www.savekapiti.co.nz