Waipā District Council calls for locals’ ideas to solve Cambridge transport troubles

Sunday, 8 February 2026

Waipā District Council has launched a public brainstorming phase for its long-term Cambridge Connections plan.

Cambridge residents are being asked to help solve the town’s growing transport problems, with Waipā District Council opening a public brainstorming phase for its long-term Cambridge Connections plan.

The project aims to create a 30-year-plan addressing transport pressures in the rapidly-growing town and has now moved into its second stage.

In this phase, the council is asking locals their feedback on how to solve Cambridge’s transport troubles.

A pamphlet which will be sent to Cambridge residents.

The move comes after the project was reset in early 2025 after community complaints that residents were not adequately consulted during the plan’s development.

Common themes which emerge from community consultation will be used to create a long list of transport ideas.

In the first stage of the project, the council sought feedback about what was not working in terms of Cambridge transport, which led to councillors settling on three “problem statements”.

Waipā District Council executive director Katie Mayes said the council wanted to capture a wide range of ideas from the public (file photo).

At a recent Strategic Planning and Policy committee meeting, councillors voted unanimously to adopt the criteria for assessing ideas.

Waipā District Council executive director Katie Mayes told elected members the long list of solutions would be formed through “really extensive community engagement”.

The council will use social media, flyers sent to Cambridge residents, posters available in key gathering points, an online ideas forum, and more to engage with the public during the consultation period.

Mayor Mike Pettit wanted to see the community engaging with the brainstorming process (file photo).

Mayes said the council would also have a physical presence at community events.

“We want to make it as easy as possible … in a way that really does capture a wide range of ideas.”

“There will be no excuse for people not to feed into this,” mayor Mike Pettit said during the meeting.

“The challenge is to the community to engage because this is going to affect us all.”

Feedback closes at 8am on March 9.

Stage three of the project will see transport options be developed, and the community consulted on a draft transport plan from August to October.

In December the public plan will go out for public consultation before being finalised and released.

More information about the project is available on the council’s Cambridge Connections web page.