List MP Damien O’Connor says that the money spent removing and replacing the ROBOS safety barriers in Ruby Bay would be better spent elsewhere.
“It seems a ridiculous exercise when there are so many other serious road safety issues that Waka Kotahi could be addressing,” he says.
The barriers, which were installed at a cost of $5m last year, are scheduled for replacement over three weeks of night closures, beginning 4 May. A two-year contractual agreement between ROBOS International Ltd and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has been cancelled, with NZTA citing issues with installation and maintenance. However, ROBOS executive director Don Jaine has stated that every problem has been resolved and the system is set to be the best of its kind in the world.
Damien calls it “one more chaotic incident overseen by Waka Kotahi that people observe right around the country”.
He references the Motueka roundabout constructed at the corner of High Street and Old Wharf Road in 2021, which required the adjoining pedestrian crossings to be moved less than a year after their initial installation.
Don Jaine, who is the executive director of start-up ROBOS International Ltd, says that they have been there is a “cosy duopoly” of median barrier manufacturers in New Zealand. This is a sentiment echoed by Damien, who says “our country is unfortunately plagued by monopoly or duopoly or major interests who seem to do very well out of government contracts”.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency have declined to comment further on this issue. West Coast-Tasman MP Maureen Pugh was also approached for comment but has not yet responded.
