- Kia ora
- Safety culture underpins everything we do
- Project archaeology
- PP2Ō information booth open for business
- Construction update
- Cycleway and walkway consultation
Kia ora
Welcome to the latest Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway construction update. This month we share the latest construction plans and talk about our commitment to Health & Safety on this job. We’re off to a great start on the health and safety front thanks to the achievements of our Health and Safety Manager Sarah McDonald.
Sarah just won the Health and Safety Practitioner of the Year Award in the Safeguard New Zealand Workplace Health & Safety Awards 2017. This was in recognition of her work on the Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway. The judges said she was a key player in forging a consistent approach to H&S on the job, and “positively influenced H&S thinking in the wider Wellington region”. We are very proud and lucky to have Sarah with us and look forward to the health and safety culture she will lead on PP2Ō.
Sadly for me, this is my last issue of Express Connect as I'm leaving the project for a new opportunity. We look forward to introducing the new PP2Ō Project Manager who will be in place in time for our next issue and bring a wealth of experience to the team and wider community.
Ngā mihi
John Palm, Project Manager
Safety culture underpins everything we do
Health and Safety Manager, Sarah McDonald was awarded the NZISM Health and Safety Practitioner of the Year at the New Zealand Workplace Health & Safety Awards 2017.
Being responsible for the safety and wellbeing of everyone on or close to a busy construction site is not a role to be taken lightly but Health and Safety Manager Sarah McDonald says it’s in everyone’s interests to have a safe workplace.
“People and community come first and everyone who shares in the journey of this project will contribute to health and safety, individually and by taking care of each other.” she says.
Sarah worked on the M2PP Alliance and now brings her experience and expertise to the PP2Ō project. Her team is dealing with construction sites that have lots of vehicles, heavy machinery and hundreds of staff and contractors working on any given day, but she says their objective is pretty simple.
“We aim to have everyone who comes on site return home safely after their working day. That’s our commitment to individuals, workers and their families.”
Sarah says successful health and safety practices begin with a project induction. This is something that everyone must go through before stepping foot on site. Workers and visitors alike are inducted on the protective gear they must wear and how they are expected to conduct themselves.
“You can’t get onsite without an induction. These are big civil construction projects with big machinery. So it is crucial people know what the risks are and how to manage them.”
Part of the PP2Ō health and safety policy is zero tolerance to the use of alcohol and drugs. This involves pre-employment screening as well as random on-site and incident-related testing.
But Sarah says while there are lots of rules, for good reason, embedding good health and safety practices is as much about carrots as sticks.
“Whilst we encourage a culture of reporting incidents and near misses, we also like to celebrate the good stuff, things that have gone right so we can share and learn from them.
“At the end of the day our objective is zero harm and people going home safe to their families. This can be supported through good planning, communication and being smart. It’s all about working as a team and having good leadership.”
Project archaeology
Project Archaeologist, Emily Cunliffe in the field.
Members of the Ōtaki Historical Society were recently visited by PP2Ō archaeologist Emily Cunliffe and Mary O’Keeffe, the archaeologist for Transmission Gully and former M2PP Expressway archaeologist. Emily and Mary gave the society an overview of how large construction projects like PP2Ō approach historical investigations and discoveries before and during earthworks.
Mary described how the M2PP project unearthed over 200 new archaeological sites, with discoveries such as adzes and middens, which have helped paint a clearer picture of pre-European settlement in the region.
Emily talked to society members about how and where the PP2Ō project team will doing pre-construction archaeological investigations. She described how these sites have been identified as potential archaeological significance. There has been over two years of research and consultation with many people including local Iwi.
Once earthworks start there is always an archaeologist and/or an iwi representative on site when new ground is being turned and if anything is found work stops until the site has been fully investigated.
All team members and sub-contractors are briefed on the protocols for archaeological finds before setting foot on site. It’s exciting not knowing what might be found at the start of big projects like this and we’ll keep you posted of any discoveries throughout!
PP2Ō information booth open for business
Come visit the new PP2Ō Information Centre at 216 Main Highway (SH1).
People can now get an up close and personal look at everything about the Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway project by visiting our new information booth in Ōtaki.
Situated at 216 Main Highway (SH1) between Style Direct and Molly’s on the eastern side of the Main Highway, opposite Caltex, the booth is in a recessed area perfect for people to come in off the street and study the wall-mounted story boards. You’ll also find all the latest plans and maps along with interactive digital resources that connect you to the latest project, news, videos and pictures as well as information on other regional roading projects like Transmission Gully and Ōtaki to north of Levin.
In keeping with the PP2Ō policy to procure local whenever practical, the booth has been designed and constructed using local tradesmen and companies.
We’re looking forward to a busy stream of visitors popping in over the course of construction and are keen to hear you feedback. When you visit you’ll find feedback forms on the chart table so feel free to leave us a note.
If you don’t pass through this part of town very often, don’t worry as the team will also be developing series of ‘information hubs’ throughout the district including in Peka Peka and Te Horo. For example expect to see updated displays in the large window next to the Civic Theatre and new boards in the Ōtaki Library and Kāpiti Cycles on Riverbank Road. If you’d like to suggest a location or host one of these information hubs please contact the Communications team on pp2o@nzta.govt.nz.
Construction update
Enabling works are underway and you can expect to see our people out and about and working on site investigations, removing vegetation and installing fencing. Key activities over the next month include tree removal and fencing work at the western end of Ōtaki Gorge Road, site investigations around Rahui Road, County Road, Pareomatangi Reserve and Main Highway (SH1) where it crosses over the railway tracks. At times this may involve some temporary stop/go traffic management so please observe any temporary speed limits and keep safe.
Cycleway and walkway engagement
Well over 300 people came to the three community engagement sessions in June, where we were seeking basic information about how people would like to use a shared path. This is a great turnout and our thanks go to the Ōtaki and Te Horo communities for giving us such a wide range of feedback.
The design teams at the NZ Transport Agency and their partners are now using the information gathered to design two to three options, which they will being back to the community later in the year for further input and refinement. The aim is to open both the expressway and shared path at the same time, in 2020.
