Our roading and transport activities have the potential to affect the daily lives of so many New Zealanders, so it’s important that their values, priorities and opinions about how mobility is delivered is an important part of Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s business. For Waka Kotahi, public engagement means both informing people and stakeholders about proposed projects and decisions that we have made, and engaging with them as part of our decision-making process.
Deciding when and how to engage the public requires judgement. Here you will find more information about our engagement principles, and requirements when undertaking state highway work.
In addition to engaging with the public on a project by project basis we maintain collaborative relationships with a number of organisations. In some cases we develop specific protocols to guide the way we engage with these agencies on a regular basis.
Māori are recognised as the Treaty Partner by Waka Kotahi. In a practical sense this means sharing decision making with Māori when identifying priorities for investment and when identifying the best choice of transport system for their communities, both regionally and nationally.
The same engagement principles apply; however, there are some aspects of engagement that need particular emphasis when dealing with Māori communities. Engaging to develop a relationship rather than a specific issue and taking a long term view can help establish relationships and build better understanding of what is happening. This will lead to a better informed discussion and assist both Waka Kotahi and Māori to better cooperate and resolve contentious issues.
Māori and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, and Te Ara Kotahi (our Māori Strategy)
Hononga Ki Te Iwi (our Māori Engagement Framework)
Here you will find an overview of the public engagement requirements for different project phases as well as some possible public engagement techniques. Reference to and implementation of the following guidelines is required.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency public engagement guidelines
Here you will find details about the commitments we have made to engaging with the following groups:
For further information contact environment@nzta.govt.nz
