Help shape how Cambridge moves

Waipā Mayor Mike Pettit is calling on the people of Cambridge to “get involved and help shape our community for years to come”.

Waipā District Council today launched a ‘community brainstorm’ to gather transport ideas for the next stage of the Cambridge Connections project.

Pettit said the Council had ‘listened hard’ to the community since the project was reset last year.

“There is no excuse for not getting involved now. This is a great challenge to the community as the project will affect us all. We’re putting in a genuine effort to get this right. Now people need to get stuck in and engage between now and early March.”

During the first stage of the project last year, the community told Council what’s not working in terms of Cambridge transport. This next phase is about the community helping to come up with the best solutions.

“When we talk about transport, we’re really talking about the kind of place we want to live in. The project needs to reflect who we are and what we value as a community,” Pettit said.

At today’s Strategic Planning and Policy Committee meeting, Elected Members agreed on the criteria for assessing ideas, including whether the transport solutions solve the key problems and align with the Council’s strategic direction.

Executive director Katie Mayes says ideas will also need to meet practical considerations such as value for money, feasibility, and how the solutions support growth.

And Pettit confirmed that all voices are valuable and will be heard. “We want to hear all ideas – big and small, for now and for the future.”

To give feedback: go to waipadc.govt.nz/cc-feedback or pick up a form from Council offices or libraries.

Feedback will be open from today until Monday, March 9.