By Chris Penk, MP for Kaipara ki Mahurangi
As our Kumeu and Huapai communities continue to experience rapid development, I know many of you feel the daily strain of traffic congestion and infrastructure lag. Your frustrations are completely valid, and I want to share some tangible progress on the projects and policies that are set to relieve that pressure.
First, I am thrilled to report that Stage 1 of the SH16 safety improvements—the critical stretch between Huapai and Waimauku—is now officially complete. This is a massive milestone that delivers immediate safety upgrades, flexible median barriers, and widened road shoulders for our local commuters.
Even better, we are not losing momentum. Funding has been approved for Stage 2, which will tackle the heavily congested corridor between the Brigham Creek roundabout and Kumeu. We are moving forward with plans to upgrade this section from two lanes to four, build a new roundabout at the Coatesville Riverhead Highway intersection to improve traffic flow, and create a dedicated shared path for walking and cycling. While the necessary property acquisition phase will continue before construction begins, our commitment to breaking this transport bottleneck is absolute.
As our communities grow, so does the need for local infrastructure. On that note, I want to sincerely thank everyone who has reached out with feedback following the announcement of the new secondary school in the Kumeu-Huapai area. Many of you have approached me with thoughtful questions about school uniforms and very valid concerns regarding how new catchment areas might impact our existing schools in the region. Please be assured these issues are being carefully looked at, and I have been actively passing your concerns on to ensure our community’s voice is front and centre during the planning process.
Beyond physical infrastructure, I am relentlessly focused on cutting the bureaucratic red tape that delays local development. Recently, I announced a major expansion to the self-certification scheme for skilled plumbers and drainlayers. For rural and expanding areas like ours, this is a game-changer. Trusted tradies should soon be able to sign off on their own work for common onsite systems—including septic tanks and stormwater retention tanks—as well as the majority of residential plumbing. By bypassing lengthy council inspection delays, we are working to get homes finished faster and reduce the cost of building.
While we build for the future, we must also preserve what makes our region special. I was even fortunate enough to catch up with a local park ranger out at Muriwai and we had a great conversation about how the final stages of the track renewal are being carefully timed in response to observed nesting patterns. It’s a brilliant example of balancing necessary construction with the protection of our incredible native wildlife.
Now, while central government builds the infrastructure, it is you who build the culture so thank you for your continued resilience and community spirit and I look forward to the ideas, comments, and suggestions that continue to come through our electorate office in Kumeu.
Chris is talking to the park ranger at Muriwai
Chris is talking to a constituent meeting
