Given that silence is golden, the absolute lack of anything positive regarding the forthcoming heavy truck invasion of our lovely town is almost deafening. Except to say that the hard-working Chamber of Commerce and others have negotiated a 10-day stay of execution (or delay) to the deadline originally set for submissions regarding the proposed sand quarry at Newcomb Road.
Fulton Hogan says it would not want its trucks negotiating the Carter’s Flat Hill and going through the town. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
Peter Carr
Before proceeding – a clarifying statement. The bulk quarrying of infrastructure and building materials is a major mix of quite proper investments in the Waikato. Including coal into the group, eight million tonnes annually is being blown up or dug out of the earth in this province. And the bulk of it (no pun) goes over the Bombay Hill to feed an avaricious Auckland. That means it heads north. By road. The new quarry will add a further five per cent to that overall figure.
The written material revealed by the quarry operator (the Fulton Hogan owned RS Sands) massages the truth by using the word ‘likely’ when attempting to second-guess the eventual destinations of the road-hauled products.
Clearly this huge and very successful operator – who just six years ago spent $300 million acquiring the very experienced quarry specialists Stevenson Group – made a net profit of almost $349 million in their latest financial year. Not surprisingly the Fulton family appears in the well-publicised Rich List for New Zealand. Fulton Hogan, a commercial entity, have been around a long time in this business. Perusal of their (and Stevenson’s) web sites reveals wonderful statements viz ‘creating, connecting and caring for communities is our business’. Further ‘uphold our social responsibilities’. And add to that ‘with the goal of being responsible neighbours’.
Just how responsible, caring and community connecting is Fulton Hogan’s absolute handwashing of any duty of real and hard care in walking away from directing their sand-bearing truck operators into driving an extra five minutes to escape wrecking the roads of Cambridge? And from clogging up an over-used roading system that is already groaning. And from polluting the town’s atmosphere with carbon-bearing detritus from the mobile behemoths? And from adding to the danger level for school children – and a fast-growing number of elderly pedestrian townspeople who are swelling these ever-increasing numbers by dwelling in no less than eight large retirement villages.
This is big and very wealthy industry is cocking a snook at their ‘neighbours’, running wild over a possibly cowering small district council and completely ignoring the fact that the social economic local effect of their digging endeavours will only employ 10 people.
Where are the completely silent elected councillors of Cambridge? Where do they stand on this issue? To what degree do they care? And to what end can they direct a sensible, safe, environmentally acceptable decision when it faces them? This is not time for another ill-mannered crowd berating the mayor – and possibly weak officials. This is a time for professional and caring local leaders to step up to the plate, publicly declaring their interest prior to any form of official hearing or consideration of objections.
A simple sign at the egress from the quarry is all it takes to ensure that the north-bound truck drivers do turn left and, in a relatively short period of time, gain access to the Waikato Expressway to speed along on their northbound journey.
Three big trucks on Taotaoroa Road looking west towards Karapiro service station.
