Greater Bunnythorpe Committee

24/04/2026

23/04/2026

Kia ora everyone,

Today we presented our submission to Palmerston North City Council on road safety in Bunnythorpe.

We were really encouraged by how the hearing went. Councillors were engaged, asked good questions, and showed a genuine understanding of the concerns raised.

It was incredibly powerful to have members of our community and families affected by these crashes present in the room. Your presence mattered.

We also want to thank everyone who signed and shared the petition. Reaching over 3,000 signatures has made a real impact and clearly demonstrated the strength of feeling in our community and the wider community.

We are already seeing some movement, including “High Crash Area” signage being installed near the Roberts Line intersection. While this is a positive step, we will continue to advocate for further improvements across both intersections and the wider corridor.

This is not the end but it is an important step forward.

We will keep the community updated as things progress.

— Greater Bunnythorpe Community Committee

(Submission presentation can be found here at 1:56:00 https://www.youtube.com/live/TBNeXTr1pt8?si=Fyq2T_XH8B4QghFt)

21/04/2026

For those who wish to attend the submission presentation regarding the Kairanga Bunnythorpe road Intersections, details are as follow:

​4.00pm on Thursday 23 April

Please come to the Council Chamber
First Floor, Civic Administration Building, Te Marae o Hine, 32 The Square.
(The entrance is next door to the Verdict Café.)

The public is invited and encouraged to attend

The full written submission can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QhN88xy31K1Xd90Ei5mLMPBRJSE6x0biM_ESQiWhQsI/edit?usp=drivesdk

20/04/2026

09/04/2026

Here are a few highlights from the latest Bunnythorpe Community Public meeting:

- Roading Submission & Petition
We have now submitted to the PNCC Draft Budget, with Clevely Line included in this submission. The petition sits at 284 signatures and has been presented to council with the submission.

- Tangi Utikere (MP - Palmerston North)
We appreciated Tangi attending and hearing directly from the community, particularly around school bus cancellations, healthcare access, and transport.

- Local Issues Update
The ring road report has been delayed until May, and concerns raised around illegal dumping at the retired Pony Club paddock site are being followed up with Council.

- ANZAC Day Service
Planning is well underway:
📅 Friday 25 April
🕥 10:30am
📍 Bunnythorpe Recreation Grounds
Helpers are still needed for setup. Please contact Brad Joll.

- Community Updates

Lots happening across the community:

- Rugby season kicks off 18 April, with strong numbers across rugby and netball
- Thursday night meals at the clubrooms (gold coin donation)

- Basketball court has been freshly painted

- The Bunnythorpe Volunteer Fire Brigade reminds everyone to take care with burn piles in the current dry/windy conditions
- Electric blanket testing coming up 9 May

- Bunnythorpe Every Boys & Girls Rally continues to be well supported (Wednesday, fortnightly 6:30-8:30pm), and the Youth Group (Friday, fortnightly 7:00-10:00pm) has started up and is going well

📅Next Public Meeting - TUESDAY, 2nd JUNE (7:30pm @ Bunnythorpe Community Centre)

More details coming soon — everyone is welcome to attend.

Full meeting minutes can be found here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gtbV_j4QLMdEFUzUpTQYGiXqUpO5ViOw/view?usp=sharing

26/03/2026

Wow! We’ve passed 1,000 signatures on the Bunnythorpe road safety petition.

That’s in less than a day.

This shows just how strongly our community and wider community feels about what’s happening on Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road.

Thank you to everyone who has signed and shared. It really does matter.

If you haven’t signed yet, please take 30 seconds to do so, and keep sharing so we can continue building momentum.

👉 https://www.change.org/bunnythorpe

We’ll also be taking this support forward with our submission to Council.

Let’s keep going.

Prioritise Road Safety Improvements on Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road

25/03/2026

Many of you will be aware of the recent crashes on Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road.

This is not a new issue.

Since 2007, there have been 31 crashes along the 1.2km stretch between Roberts Line and Te Ngaio Road, including four fatalities and multiple serious injuries.

Four young people have lost their lives on this road. Others are living with life-changing injuries.

As a community, we believe more needs to be done.

We have started a petition calling on Palmerston North City Council to prioritise safety improvements on Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road.

👉 Please take 30 seconds to sign and share:

https://c.org/84QRhPnghB

Every signature helps show Council that this is a priority for our community.

We are also encouraging people to make a formal submission but signing the petition is a quick and easy way to support this (more details regarding how to make a formal submission to follow)

Let’s stand together and push for safer roads before another life is lost.

Prioritise Road Safety Improvements on Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road

16/03/2026

Here are a few highlights from the March Bunnythorpe Community Committee meeting.

🔥 BBQ Donation
A big thank you to Bill and Karen Evans, who have generously donated a BBQ to the Greater Bunnythorpe Community Committee. We really appreciate their support of the community.

🌱 Community Garden
A request for support was received from the Bunnythorpe Community Garden, and the committee has agreed to provide funding assistance.

🌺 ANZAC Day Service
Preparations are underway for the Bunnythorpe ANZAC Day Service, which will take place:
📅 Saturday 25 April
🕥 10:30am
📍 Bunnythorpe War Memorial

🚧 Road Safety & Local Issues
The committee continues to follow up with PNCC regarding footpath concerns, speed hump changes, blackberry in the area, and High Accident Area signage on Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road.

📝 Council Annual Budget Consultation
PNCC’s Annual Budget consultation runs 11 March – 10 April. Key community priorities include safety improvements at the Roberts Line / Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road intersection and Te Ngaio Road intersection, along with additional signage and safety measures.

🎪 Community Events
Unfortunately there is no Bunnythorpe Market scheduled for March, however we hope to organise one later in the year. Planning is also underway for upcoming public meetings and a “Meet the Candidates” event later this year as we head toward the General Election.

💛 Committee Changes
Julie and Brett Neill have stepped down from the committee. Brett previously served as Chairperson and Julie as Treasurer for a number of years. Their dedication, leadership, and service to the Bunnythorpe community has been significant and they will be greatly missed. We sincerely thank them for the time and energy they have given to supporting our community.

📅 Next Public Meeting
Tuesday 7 April – everyone in the community is welcome to attend.
More details to follow.

📄 Full meeting minutes can be found here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yopEpoHjjgFk7fkG28X8ziAc-_m1gLTD/view?usp=sharing

04/03/2026

As many are aware, there has been another crash at the Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road / Roberts Line intersection this morning.

Tragically, this comes barely more than a week after a fatal crash at the Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road / Te Ngaio Road intersection.

Our community has experienced far too much loss at these intersections:
• A fatal crash in 2017 (Kairanga Bunnythorpe / Te Ngaio)
• A fatal crash in 2022 (Roberts Line intersection)
• A major crash in September last year resulting in extensive brain injury
• A fatal crash Novemeber last year
• A fatal crash last week
• Many other crashes and near misses in between

This is not acceptable.

As the Greater Bunnythorpe Community Committee, road safety at these intersections is one of our top priorities. We are actively advocating to Council to ensure meaningful safety improvements are made.

We have been advised that additional signage, rumble strips and road markings will be installed at the Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road / Roberts Line intersection. While this is a step forward, we do not believe this should be the end of the conversation given the crash history.

We also want our community to understand that changes such as reducing speed limits or altering priority signage (for example, changing a Give Way to a Stop sign on Te Ngaio Road) require formal traffic assessments, must meet national criteria, and involve lengthy legal and consultation processes. These requests do not always result in change even when communities strongly support them. That said, we will continue to advocate strongly on your behalf.

We are currently preparing a submission to Council’s Annual Budget requesting further safety upgrades and consistent mitigation measures at both intersections.

Importantly, we will also be providing a simple submission template in the coming week that members of our community can use to lodge their own individual submissions to Council. Individual voices matter. The more residents who formally submit, the stronger the message that this is a priority for Bunnythorpe.

Our community deserves safe roads for our residents, our children, and everyone who travels through our area.

In the meantime, please drive with extreme care at both intersections. Slow down. Remove distractions. Approach with caution.

Lives depend on it.

If you have experienced near misses or have concerns you would like included in our submission, please get in touch with us.

— Greater Bunnythorpe Community inc.

02/03/2026

Thanks to everyone who attended our latest public meeting. Here are the key highlights:

Freight Ring Road

- Report has been released (can be found on PNCC website)
- 2–3 options to be shortlisted in the next month.
- Preferred option expected June/July.

Community input is still important — more details to come on how to submit feedback.

Roading

- Kairanga Bunnythorpe Rd/Roberts Line signage & rumble strips going in this month.
- Stoney Creek Rd upgrades progressing.
- Dutton Lane/Baring St footpath safety concerns to be followed up.

Water

- New filtration system in procurement phase to address discolouration.

Community

- Basketball court repainting happening soon.

Next Public Meeting: Tuesday 7 April, 7:30pm, Bunnythorpe Community Centre.

Full minutes link below for those wanting more detail.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19kyiBvouW27T_hBCxsIoS6o6njgH-VTo/view?usp=sharing

28/10/2025

Come along to the Bunnythorpe Public Meeting on Tuesday, 4th November at 7:30pm at the Bunnythorpe Community Centre.

This is a great opportunity to meet the new committee, hear the latest infrastructure updates from PNCC, and share your thoughts about what’s happening in and around our community.

Everyone is welcome. Come have your say, ask questions, and connect with your community.