Latest news with #Horowhenua
RNZ News
2 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Police were ready for 'senseless and mindless' people on anniversary of Levin violence
Horowhenua District Mayor Bernie Wanden. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver [xlert]Hundreds of people and cars descended on Levin overnight, driving recklessly and disrupting the community - mayor Hundreds of people and cars descended on Levin overnight, driving recklessly and disrupting the community, the Horowhenua District Mayor says. Mayor Bernie Wanden said Friday night was the anniversary of an illegal gathering that turned violent a year ago , and there had been rumours a crowd would return. He said a large contingent turned up in Levin on Friday evening . "Estimated to be over 1000 people. It turned a little ugly, they deliberately tried to incite and taunt police, tried to provoke them by running into one of their vehicles, setting off fireworks and things like that," he said. "Police were able to break up that gathering, but they had been there for a while - you could hear it throughout the town. They then broke up and went out into different parts of the region and into Palmerston North, before returning to Levin in the early morning and finally breaking up about three o'clock. "Quite a long night for police and emergency people that had to deal with a number of senseless and mindless people who were just there to create as much mayhem as they could." Wanden said police were aware of the gathering and had prepared for it. "We had drones and the Eagle helicopter was deployed around the town, [police] were well supported by that back-up and their ability to be able to break up and then move accordingly was really helpful. "While there were no serious incidents, I do believe some bystanders had been injured through the night, which is really unfortunate, but fortunately no police injuries or anything like that." A video posted to social media showed police standing in formation with shields and body armour, across the highway at the central Queen Street and Oxford Street shops, with multiple sirens heard and many thick dark tyre skid marks seen in circles on the intersection in front of them. On 1 June, 2024, a gathering of more than 200 people and cars in Levin turned violent, with a crowd blocking the town's main street and officers reporting projectiles thrown at them. RNZ has approached police for comment. Earlier this month, the government announced stiffer punishments for those convicted of offences related to boy-racing, and for drivers who fail to stop for police. Those caught doing burnouts or taking part in unauthorised street racing or intimidating convoys faced vehicle destruction as a presumptive sentence, while fines for making excess noise from a vehicle were also raised. At the time of the announcement, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said New Zealanders were sick and tired of seeing "idiot drivers" put the community at risk. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Police out in force in Levin, one year on from boy racer conflict
Events a year ago this weekend turned violent, with confrontations between a large crowd and police in Levin. Photo: NZ Police / Supplied Levin residents say police and hoons are already out in force on the anniversary of earlier conflict. Last year, a gathering of more than 200 people and cars in Levin turned violent on Saturday 1 June, with a crowd blocking the town's main street, and officers reporting projectiles thrown at them. On Friday night, posts on Levin social media groups said at least one police helicopter was circling the town, with commenters reporting the helicopters were tracking boy racers. "Sounds are going hard now, from police sirens to choppers, to burn outs, to police chases ... quite uneasy for Levin locals," one person said on a local forum, shortly before 11pm, Friday. "[We] will see if this current government puts its 2025 boy racer legislation where it's mouth is," another commenter said. Stuff reported a large gathering of boy racers were expected in the town for King's Birthday Weekend, but were not wanted. Horowhenua District Mayor Bernie Wanden told Stuff the town has "had a gutsful", and did not want hoons coming back and causing "mayhem". Police were aware of the event and had plans and resources to respond, he said. Police did not immediately respond to RNZ's requests for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Expressway changes 'force fed to the community'
Roadworks on the Ōtaki expressway in 2021. Photo: Supplied / NZTA / Mark Coote Two district councils in the Lower North Island are banding together against downgraded plans for an expressway through their districts. More than a decade after it was originally proposed, a revised design for the Ōtaki to North of Levin expressway has seen on-ramps and overbridges removed, and interchanges replaced by roundabouts. Council and community advocates from the Kāpiti and Horowhenua districts said the sudden change has left locals confused and appalled. Horowhenua Mayor Bernie Wanden said people were sold a well constructed expressway on par with the roads above and below the district. But he said scaling back the project would increase safety risks and divide communities along the stretch. "The community feels very short changed, shafted almost. Having spent many years agreeing to what this project looked like and - here we are at the 11th hour - now being told that it's going to change. You can imagine, the reaction has not been very good at all," Wanden said. Horowhenua Trust chair Antony Young had been advocating for the construction of the expressway for nearly eight years. He said the modifications to the project - only months out from work getting underway - had left locals in disbelief. "It's a strong, small, tight community that just feels helpless. These changes are just being rushed through and force fed to the community and we just have no option other than to accept it," Young said. NZTA project manager Glen Prince said the changes had been primarily driven by the coalition government's drive to save money. But he said 80 percent of the design remained intact and the revised plan would still be of significant benefit. "We believe that the solution that we can deliver here still delivers on those outcomes around safety, resilience, around travel time [and] reliability. Yes, we understand that there are some downsides but I think - on balance - we believe we've got it," Prince said. National MP for Ōtaki Tim Costley said while he supported the need to save money, the replacement of a full interchange with a roundabout near Levin's Tararua Rd would isolate the new Tara-Ika development - of 3500 homes - on the eastern side of the expressway. "There's meant to be a new school, a shopping centre - it's a whole new mini-town - and every single person that's driving, cycling or walking between there and Levin township has to now have to cross State Highway One through traffic, through this roundabout, I think that will just be a nightmare," Costley said. Kāpiti deputy mayor Lawrence Kirby said residents and the two councils had reluctantly agreed on tolling for the road on the back of the promises made by the NZ Transport Agency. He said those promises had now been broken. "You go to a restaurant, they're promising you a three course meal. 'This is the cost of it', 'yup, we'll order it'. Then they deliver a two course meal without desert. It's a rip-off. "We didn't like the idea of tolls in the first place. But that was the way it was to get the road we were promised. Now we're having to take the tolls and a second rate road," Kirby said. Kirby said Horowhenua and Kāpiti District council's were calling on residents to contact the NZTA and Transport Minister, Chris Bishop to make their feelings known about the changes. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Councils in Lower North Island against downgraded expressway plans
Two district councils in the Lower North Island are banding together against down graded plans for an expressway through their districts. More than a decade since it was originally proposed - a revised design for the Otaki to North of Levin expressway has seen on-ramps and overbridges removed and interchanges replaced by roundabouts. Council and community advocates from the Kapiti and Horowhenua districts say the sudden change has left locals confused and appalled. Bill Hickman has more. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
