Police three short of allocation
Police caught short as businesses are being urged to upgrade their CCTV cameras to provide better quality images. READ MORE.
LATEST EDITIONS
STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
Ōtaki College Roll
A call-out by Ōtaki Today to discover which former students and staff have died in the past 60 years has revealed a list. READ MORE.
BRIEFS
Expressway project named
The Ōtaki to north of Levin expressway project has a new name, Te Pae o Tararua. The name – which acknowledges the horizon and the enduring Tararua Range – has been gifted by project iwi partners Muaūpoko and Ngāti Raukawa te au ki te Tonga.
Works on Ōtaki Gorge Rd
Contractors will be working on a section of Ōtaki Gorge Road – between Harper Road and the Ōtaki airstrip – up until early April. The work involves traffic management, road widening and a pavement overlay, sealing of private vehicle accessways, new surfacing, drainage improvements, and updated road markings and signage. It is part of Kāpiti Coast District Council’s ongoing road renewal programme.
Twenty-five call-outs
Ōtaki Volunteer Fire Brigade started the year with 25 call-out in January. Five were for rubbish, grass or scrub fires, and there were four property fires – including three car fires – and four call-outs to private fire alarms. The Levin and Waikanae brigades sought assistance three times, and there were three “good intent” call-outs, two of which were at the local BP station when a fog cannon was activated, looking like smoke. There were also two motor vehicle crashes to attend to, one medical emergency, and one “special service” – to help after flooding from heavy rain.
Youth Council applications open
Anyone aged 14-24 who wants to help shape the future of the district can apply to join the 2026 Kāpiti Coast Youth Council/Ngā Rangatahi o Kāpiti. It’s an opportunity for rangatahi to have a say on local issues, and get involved in positive change. Apply by February 22 – search ‘Youth Council’ at kapiticoast.govt.nz
LETTERS
Clip-on safer than bridge
The article in your January 2026 paper describing the cycle-walkway clip-on as unsafe and unusable is totally off the mark. As a user of the clip-on multiple times a week (including crossings on my skinny-tyred, single-speed bike in wet conditions), negotiation of the metal joins requires a minimal amount of bike skill. I suggest anyone having trouble crossing those would be a danger to themselves on the road anywhere. Taking a 90 degree approach to each join at a comfortable speed should be safe for any competent cyclist. It is certainly safer than crossing the bridge in the traffic lane or using the narrow old footpath. I celebrate any efforts to provide cycling infrastructure and off-the-mark unnecessary criticism does not help the cause. If anyone wants to criticise unsafe cycling, try riding through central Ulaanbaatar, or London, or Addis Ababa, or Cairo. . . . Lindsay Gault, Ōtaki
Thanks for the clip-on
As an ex-pat in New Zealand for more than 20 years and a frequent user of the recently installed Otaki clip-on bridge both as a cyclist and runner, I would like to comment on the recent article regarding the dissatisfaction Mr Zwartjes finds with the design of the pathway. Considering how dangerous it was for pedestrians to cross the river in the past I find this construction very suitable, safe and pleasant compared to nothing. This path is a shared space with pedestrians with or without animals, scooters, women with babies in pushchairs, disabled people, etc, and not a velodrome. If necessary according to the weather conditions – rain, wind, etc – or number of users, cyclists have to be aware, consider dismounting and walk. At no time is the clip-on dangerous for cyclists as long as they control their speed, just as drivers have to on the road. Be positive and thank NZTA for providing this project. Jean-Louis, Ōtaki
Joiners are uncomfortable
I don’t often feel moved to comment on an article but will do this time, just in case it is worth taking the story a step (pedal) further. When I read about Gerard Zwartjes’ opinion of the clip-on (Ōtaki Today, January 2026), when he was cycling over it on a road bike, it reminded me that I had the same reaction a year ago when I first rode it. Those joiners are seriously uncomfortable on a non-suspension road bike. It seems all very well for NZTA to say it was subject to a safety audit and that this was signed off by a chartered engineer, but has that engineer ever ridden over those types of joiners on a non-suspension bike with narrow tyres? I imagine not. They also say a wide range of stakeholders were consulted, including cycling advocates, but were any of them presented with an example of these joiners and given the opportunity to hammer their butt while cycling over them without the cushioning of suspension, padded seats or padded pants? I suspect not. Could you invite Jetesh Bhula to come down to the bridge with a road bike and ask them to cycle over the joiners at a reasonable speed. Perhaps we could invite the chartered engineer down, too, and make a party of it. Most bruised bum gets an ice pack. Peter Davis, Ōtaki
Kites back March 14-15
The 2026 Ōtaki Kite Festival will be on the weekend of March 14-15.
