What Council Is Doing

The number of vehicles on New Zealand roads has increased by 45% since 1990. This has been at the expense of public transport and other modes such as walking and cycling. The Matamata-Piako district is predominantly a rural district and in 2002 had only half a kilometre of dedicated cycle or walkways.

As of 2018/19 the total length of footpaths in the district is 196.6 kilometres, and there is 500 metres of cycleway. In addition, 11.8 kilometres of the Hauraki Rail Trail, which provides a cycleway between Thames, Te Aroha and Waihi, is in the Matamata-Piako District. In 2015/16, Council decided to extend the rail trail from Te Aroha to Matamata, and this extension is currently under construction.

There has been no Council spending on noise mitigation measures as a result of transport effects between 2008/09 and 2018/19.

Parking

New development can create parking and loading problems, and can create conflict with vehicle traffic if there are insufficient parking spaces. Council aims to encourage self sufficiency in the provision of parking spaces and to avoid problems created from insufficient parking. It does this by placing conditions on resource consents for the creation of new parking spaces, or by collecting parking contributions. In 2016/17, 136 parks were created, 51 of these at a newly consented place of assembly in Manawaru. A further 136 carparks were created at nine sites in 2017/18. 56 of the parks were located at a workshop in Matamata. In 2018/19, 173 new on-site parking spaces were created as a result of consented activities at 11 sites throughout the district. 55 of these car parks were for an upgrade and expansion of the Wairere Falls carpark.

Work carried out during Plan Change 43, the review of the Transportation section of the District Plan, in 2012/13 included a review of the town centre parking in Morrinsville, Matamata and Te Aroha. The report concluded that there is sufficient supply of on-street car parking within a short walking distance of the three town centres so as not to require on-site car parking within the “Shopping Frontage” areas of the town centres, over the next ten years. The matter of not requiring sites within the Shopping Frontage areas to supply on-site parking was included in a new “Transportation” section of the District Plan.

Other matters included in this section relate to higher thresholds for access to significant and arterial roads, and direction for Integrated Transport Assessments, which assess the wider effects of traffic predicted to result from a proposed activity.

The existing number of car parks in the District (both public and private) is not currently monitored. Only the number of car parks created as a result of development and recorded on resource consent decision reports is calculated; the number of car parks created by activities that comply with all the rules in the District Plan, and therefore do not require resource consent, is not included.

Roading Development Contributions

Through the 2009–2012 LTCCP Council implemented a district-wide development contribution requirement for roading where development contributions would be paid on completion of a subdivision or development.

In 2009/10 the total of roading development contributions collected, $6,731, was low, as very few subdivisions or developments had been completed since the policy came into effect. This figure has increased since the introduction of the policy. In the three years 2016/17 through 2018/19 a total of $142,011, $439,554 and $718,455, respectively, were collected in roading contributions. There were no parking contributions collected over this period.

How are we Doing?

Anticipated Environmental Results Transport	Achieved? Achieving Progress towards achievement Not Achieving Not Monitored
Safer and more efficient roading network
Mitigation and avoidance of the adverse effects of transportation
Protection and enhancement of the amenity of the areas within which transportation networks operate
More equitable funding of upgrading transportation links needed as a result of development
Reduction of public funding of infrastructure servicing private development
Increased utilisation of alternative transport modes, particularly cycling and walking in residential areas
Increase in the number of activities which are self sufficient in terms of parking and loading space provision
Minimal adverse traffic safety effects from signs and advertising

Click here to learn more about District Plan Effectiveness and read the full report on Transport

Useful Links

Regional Land Transport Plan

Ministry of Transport

Ministry of Transport - Annual Fleet Statistics 2014

For More Information

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Customer Services
Matamata-Piako District Council
PO Box 266, Te Aroha 3342
Phone: 07 884 0060
Fax: 07 884 8865