Greater Bunnythorpe Committee

09/10/2026

BUNNYTHORPE – HAVE YOUR SAY!

The Regional Freight Ring Road is on the agenda at our public meeting next Tuesday, ahead of PNCC’s freight ring road expo on Wednesday.

Current Council material raises questions about whether freight traffic will continue through Bunnythorpe, with a bypass potentially deferred until some undetermined point in the future.

What does this mean for our village, our safety and our future?

Come along, hear the latest updates and ask your questions. This is your opportunity to understand what’s being proposed and have your say!

📅 Tuesday 13 October | 7:30pm
📍 Bunnythorpe Community Centre

06/10/2026

22/09/2026

We are aware of the recent discussion around the proposed Bunnythorpe Business Park and the possibility of a data centre being developed within the proposed Bunnythorpe Business Park development.

We understand that this has raised a lot of questions and concerns in our community, particularly given the short timeframe around the current fast-track referral process.

We just want to provide some context around the Committee’s involvement.

The Bunnythorpe Business Park has been on our radar for some time. Council has regularly kept the Committee informed with the information available to them, and the Business Park and related developments have been discussed at our regular Bunnythorpe public meetings, which are advertised and open to everyone.

2CP also held a community engagement meeting at the Bunnythorpe Community Centre on 15 October 2025, where the company presented its vision for the proposed Business Park and invited the community to find out more and ask questions.

We want to clarify that the meeting held on Saturday was organised by Stop Data Centres NZ, a nationwide advocacy group with a local presence, rather than by the Greater Bunnythorpe Community Committee. We appreciate Councillor Kaydee Zabelin giving up her Saturday to attend and answer questions at this meeting, particularly after also attending our own public meeting less than two weeks ago.

Council has now confirmed that it intends to advise the Minister that it does not support the Bunnythorpe Business Park being progressed through the fast-track process. Council has also identified a number of areas where further information and assessment will be needed, including infrastructure, transport, flooding and stormwater, environmental effects and the potential impacts on the Bunnythorpe community.

There are understandably still many questions to be answered, and the Committee will continue to seek information and ensure Bunnythorpe’s interests and concerns are heard.

We encourage everyone in our community to make their own views known and speak up about what they believe is right for Bunnythorpe. It is important that our community has a voice when decisions are being made about development, infrastructure, road safety and the future of our village.

We know how much people care about the future of Bunnythorpe, and we will continue to work constructively with Council and our community as more information becomes available.

https://www.pncc.govt.nz/News-Events/News/Bunnythorpe-Business-Park-fast-track-application

14/09/2026

💜 JADE’S LAW — THE PETITION IS NOW OPEN 💜

Today I am asking New Zealand to stand with us in calling for stronger laws for preventable road deaths.

Petition of Kathryn Stothers: Increase penalties for careless driving causing death

🚗 What are we asking for?

That the House of Representatives amend the Land Transport Act 1998 to increase penalties for careless driving causing death so they reflect the seriousness of a life lost, and recognise a wider range of aggravating circumstances for breaches of traffic rules — particularly involving heavy vehicles.

Why does Jade’s Law matter?

I believe New Zealand’s laws do not currently reflect the seriousness of preventable road deaths caused by breaches of fundamental road rules.

Jade’s Law seeks stronger accountability where death results from circumstances including:

📱 Phone use while driving
🛑 Failing to obey stop signs and traffic signals
😴 Fatigue
📋 Licence condition breaches
👨‍👩‍👧 Unrestrained passengers
🚛 Particularly where heavy vehicles are involved

A life lost should matter.

When a preventable breach of the road rules results in death, I believe the consequences should be significantly more serious than when the same offending results in injury.

This is about accountability, deterrence and safer roads for everyone.

Jade was only 18 years old when her life was taken in a preventable crash.

She should be here.

Her family should not have to learn to live without her.

And no other family should have to experience what ours has.

💜 This is why I am asking you to stand with Jade.

Please take a moment to sign the petition and share it with your family, friends, workmates and community.

Every signature matters.

Every share helps.

Together, we can push for change and make New Zealand’s roads safer.

📝 SIGN THE JADE’S LAW PETITION

https://petitions.parliament.nz/d4c946cb-c30d-4252-eddc-08deec3091b3

📅 Petition closes: 22 March 2027 — what would have been Jade’s 20th birthday.

For Jade. For safer New Zealand roads. 💜

Safer NZ Roads.

Stronger Accountability.

04/09/2026

Our AGM and public meeting is coming up, and everyone in the Bunnythorpe community is welcome!

This is a great opportunity to hear what’s been happening in our community, have your say about local matters, and find out what’s ahead for Bunnythorpe.

We’d also love to see some new faces around the table. If you’ve ever thought about getting more involved in our community, this could be a great time to jump in!

The committee meets once a month, and you don’t need to have previous committee experience, just an interest in Bunnythorpe and a willingness to contribute.

Whether you’ve been involved for years, are new to the area, or have simply got an idea you’d love to see happen, come along and join us.

24/07/2026

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 – 𝐁𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤, 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 & 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝

We’ve had a number of questions from the community about reports of a proposed data centre in Bunnythorpe and how this relates to the proposed Bunnythorpe Business Park and the Manawatū Regional Freight Ring Road.

Following enquiries to Palmerston North City Council, here’s what we know at this stage:

No application for a data centre has been lodged with Council.

The current proposal is not for a data centre. It is a private plan change seeking to rezone land for industrial use as part of the proposed Bunnythorpe Business Park.

𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆?

Possibly. The draft structure plan identifies a proposed “Technology Precinct” where data centres could potentially be established in the future. However, there is no specific proposal or application before Council for a data centre at this time.

Council planners are still considering what planning rules should apply to data centres in any future industrial zoning.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒖𝒑𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒎𝒂𝒑𝒔?

Council has advised that the Business Park traffic assessment assumes roads will eventually be upgraded as part of the proposed Manawatū Regional Freight Ring Road project.

However, the Ring Road business case has been developed independently of the Business Park proposal. Council has also noted that the Business Park development could occur before some of the Ring Road upgrades are completed, so the timing of both projects is still being considered.

There will be a public Council workshop on the Ring Road business case on 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚 31 𝑱𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒕 1:30 𝒑𝒎 (𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒍 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓).

One of our local councillors has requested a spatial map showing how the various proposed developments and transport projects around Bunnythorpe fit together, which should help provide a clearer picture.

As always, we’ll continue to share updates as more information becomes available.

03/06/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who attended last night's Greater Bunnythorpe Community Public Meeting and PNCC Infrastructure Meeting.

With over 60 people in attendance, it was encouraging to see such strong community engagement on issues that matter to Bunnythorpe and its future.

We were pleased to welcome Mayor Grant Smith, a large number of Palmerston North City Council elected members, PNCC Infrastructure staff, Palmerston North MP Tangi Utikere, National Party representatives, and members of the wider community.

The evening provided an opportunity for community to hear directly from Council staff, ask questions, raise concerns, and engage in constructive discussion. There was plenty of opportunity for community voices to be heard and responded to, and we appreciate the willingness of those present to engage respectfully in what are important and sometimes challenging conversations.

Discussion covered a range of topics affecting Bunnythorpe, including:

• The Regional Freight Ring Road
• General roading and transport issues affecting Bunnythorpe
• The Regional Freight Hub and rail infrastructure
• Proposed solar farm developments
• Future growth and infrastructure planning

As a committee, we now have plenty to work with. There are a number of matters to follow up on, discuss further, and action over the coming weeks as we continue advocating for the interests of our community.

Minutes from both the Greater Bunnythorpe Community Public Meeting and the PNCC Infrastructure Meeting will be made available once they have been prepared and approved.

Thank you again to everyone who attended, asked questions, shared their views, and contributed to a positive and productive evening. Strong communities are built when people take the time to get involved, and last night was a great example of that in action.

Our next Greater Bunnythorpe Community Public Meeting will be held on Tuesday 4 August at 7:30pm at the Bunnythorpe Community Centre.

We look forward to seeing you there.

31/05/2026

In April, the Greater Bunnythorpe Community Committee submitted a road safety submission to Palmerston North City Council regarding the Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road corridor, including the Roberts Line and Te Ngaio Road intersections.

The submission was lodged on 13 April and included:
• A community petition with over 3,000 signatures
• Impact statements from the mother of Joshua McGinty and the parents of Reef Beale
• Crash statistics and evidence highlighting the long-standing safety concerns within this corridor

On 23 April, Rebekah Mudford spoke to the submission at Council’s Annual Budget hearing. We were grateful for the support and presence of the Beale and McGinty families at that hearing. Media were also present, and a positive article followed.

In our submission we requested:

Immediate actions:
• High Accident Area warning signage
• Heavy-vehicle grade rumble strips
• Improved road markings and visibility
• Consistent safety measures at both intersections

Medium to long-term actions:
• A comprehensive safety review of the corridor
• Investigation of higher-level safety improvements including intersection redesign, speed management, roundabouts, or other engineering solutions

Since lodging the submission, a number of improvements have already been made:

✅ Large STOP signs installed at both intersections
✅ Te Ngaio Road changed from Give Way to STOP on both approaches
✅ High Accident Area signage installed at both ends of the corridor
✅ Concealed Intersection warning signs installed on Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road approaching both intersections
✅ Road markings refreshed and repainted
✅ Roberts Line rumble strips repainted

While we welcome these improvements, we continue to advocate for heavy-vehicle grade rumble strips and for equivalent rumble strip treatments to be installed on Te Ngaio Road.

We are also pleased to report that during Annual Budget deliberations on 6 May 2026, Council resolved to add:

• $15,000 capital funding for safety improvements in the Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road area near Bunnythorpe
• $80,000 operating funding for safety improvements in the Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road area near Bunnythorpe

This is a significant step forward and demonstrates that the voices of our community have been heard.

The next opportunity for the community to engage is the Public Infrastructure Meeting:

📍 Bunnythorpe Community Centre
📅 Tuesday 2 June 2026
🕢 7:30pm

We look forward to hearing Council officers update the community on the work completed to date and what further improvements are planned.

Finally, we want to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to engage with this process. Thank you to those who shared their concerns, experiences, and ideas; those who signed the petition; those who attended the hearing; and those who supported this kaupapa in countless other ways.

We particularly acknowledge the lives of Matthew Pullman, Joshua McGinty, Jade Evans, Baby Lily and Reef Beale, who lost their lives on these intersections.

We cannot change the past, but we hope these improvements, and those still to come, will help prevent future tragedies and spare other families the heartbreak that too many have already endured.