A principal of an Auckland school is frustrated that nothing has been done to fix the traffic chaos at one of the country’s fastest-growing suburbs.
By Torika Tokalau, Local Democracy Reporter
Scott Point School principal Pam King said children are constantly late to school because local government won’t intervene in the development of a new subdivision.
“We would have hundreds late every single day, because their parents can't get them here on time, even if they leave early.”
She was talking about the one-way in, one-way out, single route of access that thousands of residents at the Hobsonville suburb have had to put up with for more than five years.
Scott Point’s development is led by several private developers, meaning they are responsible for the planning, design, and construction of new roads, footpaths, and street lights of a new subdivision.
“There's no consistent planning and nobody seems to care. We need two entries in and out of Scott Point because it would halve the traffic.”
Scott Point, located in northwest Auckland, is one of the fastest-growing communities in the region, now with more than 5000 residents.
The number is expected to increase dramatically, with projections indicating around 20,000 residents in the next few years.
At Scott Point School, the roll has grown significantly to more than 900 students and over 80 staff within five years.
“The issue is we've got a one-way in, one-way out situation at Scott Point School, and to the Scott Point residents and the community.
“It causes a safety issue because it means those people who have to drive their children to school, because you can't let a 5-year-old walk these streets because you don't know what construction's going on here, we have probably triple the amount of traffic.”
King said they had asked Auckland Transport and Auckland Council to step in because solutions being put in place, including a new roundabout built two weeks ago, had only exacerbated the problem.
“Every single solution creates another problem. It might ease some of the current flow, but because there's only one-way in and one-way out, it will never drastically improve the volume.”
A secondary road just outside of the school, would “fix this mess”, but would need local government to expedite the delivery of Joshua Carder Drive and Squadron Drive link, she said.
Joshua Carder Dr sits unfinished and is not accessible to motorists, but reliant on a private developer to complete.
Responsible for filling the gap in the road is private company Joshua Carder Developments Ltd (JCDL), which purchased a 9100m² plot of land at Joshua Carder Drive in June 2024.
JCDL director Jiaqi Li didn't respond to multiple approaches for comment.
An AT spokesperson said they understand the frustration of residents, but the delivery of additional access routes was out of their control.
“The land required to deliver alternative access routes, including the Joshua Carder Drive connection, is private land and part of an active development area.”
Until the road was completed by the developer and formally vested to Auckland Transport, they had no legal authority to construct, fund, or advance alternative access routes, he said.
At this stage, AT’s role was limited to only assessing designs, and approving traffic management and interim arrangements where appropriate.
“AT cannot override council delegations, fast‑track private development, or allocate public transport or roading funding to land that has not yet been vested.
“Those matters sit with other parts of Auckland Council, including planning, consenting, and compliance teams.”
AT said even a temporary road using some reserve land next to the private property would be difficult.
Reserves are governed by specific legislation and management plans, and any change of use – particularly to form a vehicle road – would require approval through council’s planning and consenting process, he said.
“In addition, any road connection — temporary or permanent — would still need to meet safety, design, and legal requirements, and would need to connect to land that is completed and vested to AT.
“Until the Joshua Carder Drive extension is finished by the developer and formally vested, AT does not have the authority to construct, fund, or open new access routes, including across reserve land."
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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