Dear Hutt City Council,

I am writing to request information under the Official Information Act 1982 relating to the decision to close Kennedy Good Bridge and Melling Bridge on the evening of Monday 20 April 2026.

Specifically, I request:

1. Any written criteria, protocols, or thresholds used to determine when these bridges should be closed due to river levels or flood conditions — including any formal trigger points such as river gauge heights, flow rates (cumecs), or freeboard margins.

2. The river gauge readings and/or flow rate data recorded at the time the decision to close the bridges was made (approximately 8pm on 20 April 2026), the anticipated readings given the forecast rainfall, and the readings at the time they were reopened (approximately 3am on 21 April 2026).

3. Any internal communications (emails, meeting notes, text messages, or briefing documents) between Hutt City Council staff and/or Greater Wellington Regional Council staff relating to the decision to close the bridges on that evening.

4. Any engineering assessments or advice provided to the Lower Hutt Controller prior to the closure decision.

5. Records of the post-closure engineering inspection carried out on the morning of 21 April 2026, including the findings that led to the bridges being reopened.

6. Data on previous occasions when Hutt River levels reached or exceeded those recorded on 20 April 2026, and whether bridge closures were implemented on those occasions.

Yours sincerely,

Luke Howison
Naenae, Lower Hutt