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Town of 11,000 losing supermarket told to wait more than a year for new public transport

Author
Mitchell Hageman,
Publish Date
Sun, 11 Feb 2024, 2:16pm

Town of 11,000 losing supermarket told to wait more than a year for new public transport

Author
Mitchell Hageman,
Publish Date
Sun, 11 Feb 2024, 2:16pm

Hawke鈥檚 Bay Regional Council says it believes Flaxmere is 鈥渨ell served鈥 by public transport to and from Hastings as the closure of the suburb鈥檚 only supermarket nears.

Residents have cited concerns the elderly and those with limited mobility will struggle to access groceries when New World Flaxmere closes in two weeks.

Foodstuffs announced it was abandoning the Hawke鈥檚 Bay suburb of 11,000 people last month, after earlier vowing to build a new supermarket for the community.

Hastings District councillor Damon Harvey said he was left 鈥渟hocked and disappointed鈥 after a community meeting in Flaxmere recently revealed Hawke鈥檚 Bay Regional Council wouldn鈥檛 be making any changes to its bus routes for at least 18 months, despite the supermarket closure.

Flaxmere community members who usually shop at the New World may have to wait 18 months before they get increased bus services to Hastings. Photo / Paul Taylor
Flaxmere community members who usually shop at the New World may have to wait 18 months before they get increased bus services to Hastings. Photo / Paul Taylor

He claimed officials told the meeting that residents would need to come up with a transport solution in the meantime, describing that as 鈥渁nother kick in the guts for Flaxmere鈥.

Go Bus鈥檚 run 20, which services Flaxmere, has 22 services per day, Monday to Friday. The route runs past Pak鈥檔Save Hastings.

Hawke鈥檚 Bay Regional Council says changing the current service before a new contract for the region鈥檚 public transport - to be signed in 2025 - would be 鈥渆xtremely costly鈥 and funding was not available.

HBRC general manager policy and regulation Katrina Brunton said the council believed the Flaxmere community was 鈥渨ell served by the current fixed route buses鈥.

She said changes in 2025 for the network could result in the current coverage model - which sees buses travel in long, inefficient loops - moving to a patronage model with efficient and frequent bi-directional routes (meaning buses travel each way on the route).

If implemented, Flaxmere would be serviced by two routes, where it is currently served by one.

Recent changes were made to the wider Hawke鈥檚 Bay bus schedule, including an additional 341 runs every week across the region鈥檚 network due to recent driver wage uplift agreements.

Harvey said two HBRC staff members told the community at the meeting to 鈥渃ome up with a transport solution themselves and to find a minivan or bus and a driver.

鈥淗BRC announced that they are back to full service of their public transport network ... why can鈥檛 they look at those runs and frequency and assign more to Flaxmere?鈥

Brunton said council officers did discuss what was called 鈥楥ommunity Transport鈥 as a potential option for the community.

No funding was available for this, and the transport budget was 鈥渃onstrained鈥, but Brunton said HBRC was committed to working with the community to get a system in place.

鈥淭hat is, a transport solution that is community driven around an identified need and where sufficient demand exists.

鈥淚t is usually a volunteer-based service that is owned and operated by a community-based trust or incorporated society,鈥 she said.

鈥淲e noted that the funding (and, to an extent, the willing volunteers) to set something like this up is the initial hurdle 鈥 and unfortunately, we do not have any available funding for this.

鈥淗owever, the funding can come from any source. HBRC officers committed to work with the community to look at options and opportunities and help to form up what the service/solution might look like.鈥

Harvey said council representatives needed to step up and find a quick solution to help the suburb, with the supermarket set to close on February 25.

He said the elderly, disabled and those with limited access to a private vehicle were 鈥渧ery much part of the reason we have public transport in the first place.

鈥淚 urge the regional council to put their thinking caps on and look for a mix of solutions rather than just say 鈥榯ough luck鈥 and wait for 18 months for a revised bus schedule.鈥

Burton said the local Age Concern branch has a van offering services for its members and an offer was made to extend the service to cater for those outside their membership base.

鈥淭his could be a viable alternative in the short term for the elderly and disabled,鈥 she said.

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke鈥檚 Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.

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